I love the Dalmore. the 15 year old is a work of art (combining 3 types of sherry casks in marriage) , The Mackenzie i tasted recently was very good, and spicy. So i have good memories of the Dalmore. i had very high expectations for the 21 yo expression. An older, classic Dalmore. it must be brilliant i thought. Well,let’s see if it kept the promise:
Here we go:
The Dalmore 21 year old , 43% ABV
Nose: Is this the Dalmore 21 ? A bit weak and watery. Very different from what i thought. some sherry notes on the start, some balsamic, dried fruit – mostly apricot and some sultanas. not very expressive, i am afraid.
Palate: again, thin, not as big as one might think, not much wood, sherry profile alright, but very delicate. some cocoa, malt and caramel. but that’s it. Again, not my type of Dalmore.
finish : some wee smoke, fruit and caramel. nothing to write home about, certainly from a 21 year old ‘veteran’…
Bottom line:
I seem to mostly enjoy drams i am reviewing, but here i was in for a disappointment. This is a fine dram, don’t get me wrong! and not a bad one, but i would expect much more from the 21 year expression from Dalmore. I am missing the big sherry here (probably because most of it is oak matured), and the thin body, and nose… It may be a good after meal dram, but for around 90 GBP , there are better malts that cost 1/2 as much and i seem to like better.
You wine some, and you loose some.
Slainte!