Tastes

Nose: Woody and fruity notes, faint lemon oil, restrained sherry. Malted milk chocolate balls and a touch of mint. Palate: Rich malty flavours, vanilla, toffee, nuts, caramel, dried fruits, cocoa and some warm gingery spice notes. The mouthfeel is excellent, very rich, sweet, soft and just a little oily. The texture is delightful and one of the best parts of the experience. Finish: Medium/long and smooth with chocolate toffee and some sweet spiced citrus. A soft and pleasant whisky with the single fault that after being open for several months oxidization had caused the toffee notes to dominate the palate. This was a pity as it obscured the rest of the profile and made it a little cloying. Still, it's a very well made and reasonably priced 15 year old highlander that falls a little short of 4 stars for me. (I'm puzzled by the official score of 95. This ranks it as equal to Bruichladdich Black Art 4, Laphroaig 25 and Hakushu 25, and seems extremely ... generous). “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

Nose: Lots of sweet, rich sherry. Oranges, red berries, spice notes and butterscotch. A hint of anise and a note of rum – a very Christmas pudding aroma. There’s a firm foundation under all the juicy sweet notes with some excellent oak apparent. It’s a very old-school, sweetly intense and leathery nose. Palate: Fruitcake, orange peel, sultanas – lighter than the nose would make you expect, but still very sherry and raisin driven. Cherry Danish in the development with surrounding cappuccino notes. The texture is full and velvety. Finish: Medium/short, but very rounded and pleasant with a tiny hint of bitter orange. Dalmore is always very polished and well-finished. It makes me think of highly waxed mahogany sideboards in centuries-old oak panelled drawing rooms, with dishes of chocolate covered caramel and orange pieces and glasses of good sweet sherry. Its whole demeanor is elegant, refined and poised. Like all Dalmore expressions I would love to see this released at a slightly higher abv but it's not something that bothers me too much. The profile is so large and rich that it makes up for the base-level strength in a way that most other whiskies would not be able to pull off. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

Nose: Sherry, nuts, caramel toffee, vanilla, a little coconut, banana and some lemon oil. Lightly peat smoke. Palate: Buttery fudge, berries, toasted walnut bread, caramel, orchard fruits and milk chocolate. The texture is good. Finish: Short. Nutty, malty cereal and caramel. There is some minor astringency in the aftertaste from the grain whiskey component. I enjoyed this whisky but although there wasn't anything specific to criticize about it I wasn't that bowled over either, and once it was finished I didn't particularly want to buy another bottle straight away. It's a good everyday dram at a fair price and it would be a good session whisky. “Average” : 78/100 (2.75 stars)

Nose: Sweetly floral, fragrant with an unmistakable aroma of frangipani flowers and honeysuckle (but it's not heavy or cloying at all - just light and fresh). Also oak, lemon peel, mixed spices, brightly aromatic herbs and citrus fruits. An uplifting and delicately bright nose. Palate: A tropical fruit basket with citrus and pineapple to the fore plus sweet malty, toffee notes. Very nice combination of sweet and cereal flavours. Finish: Medium/short, but satisfying, with a cereal-oak combination finale. Overall it's a pleasant, gentle dram - light but not lightweight, with a distinctive floral presentation. It's a great showcase for delicate bourbon cask maturation sweetened with some low-tannin sherry oak. There's nothing here to dislike but it could be considered a little too "easy" to be really interesting. I enjoyed the bottle I had (which I drank last summer and I think it suited the season admirably) but I probably wouldn't bother buying it again. However if you're looking for a gentle, easy-drinking whisky for a hot summer afternoon then you could do far worse, particularly as it is priced very fairly. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)

Nose: Fruity sweet and something like an ale - it's almost more bourbon-like than rye. Palate: Subtle sweet seed-spices (caraway, fennel, cinnamon, allspice) with a fudgey, sweet toffee character livened by a little pepper. Again, quite sweet and restrained for a rye. Finish: Short and light. This is by no means the most interesting rye available, but it is arguably the most acceptable cheap rye (at least in Australia where our choice is very limited) and it works well as a mixer. In that role it is a genuine alternative to blended whisky. I enjoy it, but only as an everyday mixing dram and as not something to be sipped slowly and explored. However it has to be said that over an ice cube it is still a pleasant and gentle sipping rye. The low abv is what lets things down here - if this was at 43 or 45 % it would be a lot more interesting. It's reasonable value, and it used to be a bargain just a couple of years ago when it was $40, but the price has increased dramatically and it's not such a bargain any more. “Above Average” : 80/100 (3 stars)

Nose: Hazelnuts, powdered malt extract, an aroma uncannily like almond Danish pastry. Running in parallel are fruity notes of stewed apples and orange peel. There's also some vanilla, oak and a tiny whiff of peat smoke. [The dry-glass aroma is entirely oak - everything else just floats away]. Palate: Honey-sweet and luscious, mouth-coating and creamy. Vanilla whipped cream, malted milk, hazelnuts, almonds. A very soft and gentle arrival and development without any trace of peat, spice or heat. Finish: Medium, slightly dry with malty-oak flavours fading into the distance. Tomintoul 16 is a pleasant and laid back whisky with a soft, smooth profile. The nose is very feel-good in a relaxed lazy Sunday morning sort of way. Don't add water - it is completely unnecessary and kills the velvety texture. It's not a bad whisky at all and the price is not steep for a 16 year old expression, but when the experience is this easy you had better be specifically wanting "smooth" above all else. While I enjoyed the bottle I had I don’t feel the urge to acquire another or keep it on hand as a regular thing. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)

Nose: Strong sweet fruit with a surprise gift of some lovely orange aromas (I didn't get this the first time around, but once noticed it is obvious). The sherry casks were well selected and impart great presence and gravity to the nose. Everything basks in the light of a wonderful aroma that is precisely like the smell of a well controlled sherry warehouse - deep, winey, oaky, redolent of age but without mustiness or mould. Palate: The nose was so good that on first tasting I could hardly drag myself away to taste the spirit as I was half dreading that the palate would not live up to the first act, but I didn't need to worry. The palate is initially sweet and rich with lots of dried fruits and there is a balance of astringency from the oak that is perfectly right and delightfully interesting. Finish: Long. The finish showcases the sherry characteristic to perfection. The mouthfeel is rich, mouthwatering and comforting. In general I'm not a fan of big sherry finishes but this one is so well done it's hard to resist. There is a sense of freshness that gives it a lifted profile. It's a sherry showcase, but not a sherry bomb. If I had to choose one reasonably priced representative of this style of whisky it would be hard to go past this. Recommended for both quality and value for money. It is one of the malts I routinely pour as an ideal introduction to sherried whisky. Original rating: "Very Good" : 86/100 (4 stars) New rating: "Good" : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

* This review is based on the 40% abv expression that is sold in Australia. Nose: Light vanilla fruit cake with orange peel and sultanas. A little vanilla and sandalwood. Palate: Creamy cereal arrival with honey and vanilla. Orange and red apples on the development with roasted nuts, caramel and dried mixed fruit. Some butterscotch sauce and maple syrup, a little cinnamon and a trace of cloves. Finish: Medium. Caramel toffee with some mild spicy rye flavours on the finale. I sometimes find bourbon too sweet for my taste, both on the nose and the palate, but wheated bourbons largely avoid the cloying and candyish nature that corn spirit can have. Maker's Mark is a great standby mixer and sipper that is remarkably consistent and never unpleasant. It's not a permanent thing in our drinks cupboard, but a bottle often finds it way there as an alternative for mixed drinks. At the price it is comparable to the better middle-shelf scotch blends. "Average" : 78/100 (2.75 stars )

Nose: Woody and fruity. Apples, pears and some herbal notes. Raisins and caramel toffee, vanilla. Quite a strong oak presence. After oxidizing, a lot more citrus fruit, spice and leather became apparent. This is pretty tight to start with and the nose needs time to relax. Palate: Malty and fruity arrival, rich but again very tight and uninvolving initially. As it develops and opens up citrus notes (particularly lemon flavours), herbal grassiness, green tea and some spice emerge. There is a background oakiness that verges on resinous and never really becomes soft. Finish: Medium/long. Drying and tannic. When I first tasted this I remember being very unimpressed. The nose seemed faint and uninteresting and the palate a general confusion of mild flavours. Over time, however, I came to appreciate it more. The nose improved a lot as it oxidized in the bottle and giving it quite a bit of time to rest in the glass always paid off. The nose gained a lot of fruitiness and became more aromatic in general, and the palate developed spicy, nutty notes and dried fruit that together with the original toffee character gave an impression of light fruit cake. A dash of water also helps to speed the opening process and soften the all-encompassing oaky nature. At 48% it can take a dash of water with no harm. This review was based on the old grey-brown box edition. The new one in purple livery is similar, but different, with more bright fruit and honeyed tones. This has an almost legendary status for some folks but I can't imagine why. It's a good whisky, but that's all. “Good" : 83/100 (3.5 stars)

Re-tasting. Pretty much identical thoughts as my original tasting here. If anything the whisky has improved a little and seems oilier in texture. A recommended affordable malt. Tasted at the distillery, May 2nd 2024 —————————————————— Nose: Vanilla, honeysuckle, pear, orange, almond, hazelnut, malt. Palate: Sweet malty arrival. A slight herbal note almost like an ale as it develops. Vanilla and fruit. Definite nutty flavours - cashews, hazelnuts. Reasonable texture. Finish: Medium. Sweet malt and spicy toffee notes. I'd argue that this is one of the better affordable drams. At the price it is good value, however for a few dollars more you can get the 12 year old, which is better all round. Likewise, for a few dollars less you can get the Major’s Reserve, which is priced to compete with middle-shelf blended scotch and, although hardly a complex malt, is excellent value. A very easy, straightforward dram and a great choice for a complete beginner who wants something very friendly and unchallenging. Similar in some respects to Glen Moray Elgin Classic, but that is sweetly fruity whereas this is solidly about warm, sweet malt. “Above Average" : 80/100 (3 stars)