Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve

The nose starts with a sour and bitter mix of dark berries and sherry followed by milk chocolate candy bar with toasted hazelnuts then fruits of sour cherries, Granny Smith apple peel and orange juice that transition to moderate barrel spices of cloves, ginger, and dusty attic floors with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel that starts with a pleasant fruity and floral mix of dark berries, orchard fruit and light orange blossom that quickly turns moderately bitter with a high drying spice that slowly fades to dark chocolate orange, apple chips, toasted hazelnuts and a moderate ashy oak with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with dark chocolate orange, light floral notes, apple chips, powdered ginger, burnt cloves and moderate ashy oak. The nose on this is slightly offensive with those wine and sherry barrels causing a sour and bitter flavor mix before sweet earthy and nutty notes that fade to sour citrus and dusty wood. The taste started promising with a really enjoyable floral, red berry and orchard fruit mix but was quickly overpowered by a bitter high spice that almost never ended until thankfully some light fruits and nuts emerged along with ashy oak that finishes drying and ashy with chocolate, citrus and light floral notes. The mixture of aging in American white oak ex-bourbon casks, Matusalem oloroso sherry casks and Cabernet Sauvignon barriques seems to have created a sour, bitter and spicy mixture that I personally find overwhelming and drying. At the price of $200 around me, this is a hard pass for me and much better whisky can be found for far less.

Tried neat with victor from his advent calendar Christmas Eve. Vanilla, honey, caramel, cherry, dark chocolate, pomegranate, citrus, oak, maple, caramel green apple smells so delicious I don’t even want to taste it because I don’t want it to end. Smells like a Sunday morning. On the palate it is delicious with I get pecan, nutty, spicy!

Fruity, smooth but strong, oily, no tingling sensations, Pierres

Good. Basically a slightly stronger version of the 12 year. Very similar notes.