Dalmore 18 Year

Nose: A warm, velvety, enfolding blanket of sherry. Orange juice and orange zest, raisins, old oak, dusky cinnamon, vanilla and a faint whiff of ash. It's an impressive nose right from the start and it increases in interest over time as it develops in the glass. There are also brown sugar and maple syrup notes that are curiously like a bourbon nose. You almost miss it behind the sherry but think "bourbon" when sniffing this and the similarity is immediate. [The dry glass aroma is pure maple syrup]. Palate: A sweet orange preserve and sherry arrival with salted caramel, chocolate-covered raisins, almonds and dried figs. The development brings out chocolate, honey and woody notes, with a little hot spice and tannic bitterness creeping in towards the finish. The texture is velvety and opulent. Finish: Medium/long. Sherry, dried fruit, orange, milk coffee and lingering oak with a bitter cocoa edge and a tiny hint of mint. There's an intriguing mix of sweet and dry in this whisky, which is key to its character. On the one hand there is a wave of sweet citrus and rich fruity flavours, coupled with sweet sherry. However this would be cloying and undrinkable without the presence of the cocoa, pepper and oak tannin, which provide a dry counterbalance. Water does not improve this whisky. The nose disappears and the palate becomes generically sweet and almost saccharine like artificially sweetened chocolate. Take this one neat. It's a good example of a Dalmore but there is a strong similarity between all their expressions, so if this one is a little too expensive try the 12 or 15 year old instead. They are both very pleasant, if a notch or two lower in rank, and will get you 80% of the way here. "Very Good" : 86/100 (4 stars)