Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve

Sweet, fruity, smokey. Delicious

I'm loading up notes from a Dalmore vertical tasting last week, and this whisky was the clear winner of the night. Cigar Malt is Richard Paterson’s take on an ideal scotch-and-cigar pairing. It is a noticeably meatier, punchier dram, with more spice notes that modulate its sweetness. Everything about this makes sense, as its notes would stand up to a cigar, and even its flaws may help it not be overpowered in that cigar lounge-style setting. A bunch of ethanol vapor needs time to waft off, but once it’s gone, a rich caramel settles in. This is a spicy scotch, akin to Big Red gum, with more caramel and sherry accompaniment. The finish exhibits a mild sherry tinge, some tobacco leaf, and sharp cinnamon. It’s not complex, but it has backbone. That being said, I'm persistently aggravated by the low ABVs that all of these Dalmore bottlings feature; this dram, at 48-52%, would be much more impressive and would probably be a better cigar companion.