Review #62 - Dalmore Port Wood Reserve
Port Cask Finish Mini-Series: Part 1 of 3
Our next series is focusing on whiskies with some port maturation, generally a finish after prior aging in more standard barrels. Port is a sweet fortified dessert wine from Portugal, and we're expecting to get some sweeter fruity notes in these whiskies - perhaps similar to Oloroso sherry or PX sherry notes, but possibly even darker and sweeter.
The first whisky on the list is Dalmore's Port Wood Reserve, coming in at a solid 46.5% ABV. As this is Dalmore, there's no mention of chill filtration or coloring, so it's likely that a healthy dose of each has been used; still, the Dalmore spirit can be quite interesting in its natural form, so we're hoping a little bit of that character manages to sneak through. There's no age statement here, either, so other than port maturation, we're not quite sure what to expect.
Dalmore Port Wood Reserve
Scotland/Highlands - Single Malt
Price Paid: USD 84 (2021)
Current Locally Available Price: USD 89 (2023)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 46.5% ABV
Cask Makeup: Finished in port casks
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 4 times over 16 months; bottles at 100%, 80% (blind tasting), 70%, and 30% (blind tasting) fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Nice nose, decently rich but definitely subtle. There's lots of red notes: red wine, fruits of plum and cherry and strawberry; even darker fruits like blackberry, fig, and prune show up later. The theme of darker notes continues: chalky chocolate, even malty chocolate, and some mildly bitter tobacco, a touch of sassafras. Lots of sugary notes as well, like brown sugar and caramel, and then just a bit of dusty grain sneaks through. Oak begins to peek through, but overall, this is somewhat restrained and a little more delicate - you have to dig into it.
Palate: The medium mouthfeel provides some dark, stewed, acidic fruit (prune and plum) and some dry red wine, but this is still a bit restrained overall. A little bit of sweet dark syrup, but it's balanced out by a spice from the oak and some pepper. The chocolate comes back, in the forms of both milk and dark, and one time, even a spiced Mexican chocolate. There is light tobacco smoke and malt, and continuing the theme of dark notes, some Coca-Cola, or even Cherry Coca-Cola. Behind it all, though, there is an interesting lighter taste - it's like a mild tropical fruit, which turns toward mild pear.
Finish: Medium length finish, bordering on short, a bit mild and mellow. Some sweetness lingers from Coca-Cola and Tootsie Roll candy, a little bit of creamy chocolate, and some mulled red wine. The acidity of the palate's fruit is tempered now, but there is still a mild spice kick from the oak; at the end, just a small ethanol warmth.
Final Note: Nice and subtle, there is some interesting flavor here, but you have to dig for it at times. A nice balance between sweeter notes of chocolate and fruit, along with bitter notes of oak spice and tobacco. One of the better Dalmore whiskies we've had, for sure, and it surprised us a couple of times in blind tastings. In terms of value - it's decent, but nothing special. You can probably find similar flavors for 10-20% cheaper, at least if your local price is similar to ours; then again, there are certainly whiskies with this same flavor set that are priced much higher.
Our Average Rating: 7.6 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.87
