Dalmore Cigar Malt

Sweet smelling scotch, almost like a tawny port. Lots of complexity and an interesting experience, but not quite my style. I'd be willing to sip it again to reassess.

The predecessor of today's Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve was this dram, the original cigar malt, discontinued in 2009 because of some bad publicity surrounding the cigar world (it had nothing to do with the actual whisky) and was originally replaced by the Dalmore Gran Reserva; which was also discontinued two years later. So, i was eager to try this one since i believe the Cigar Malt reserve is a superior whisky, better than King Alexander III in my opinion. It is the jewel of the crown in the core range. This whiskies have been made with the intention of pairing with a cuban cigar (they recomend "Hoyo de Monterrey" and/or "Partagas Series D4")(i don't smoke so i have no idea about those). You might have seen this bottle at 40%abv, but mine was actually 43% an even older version of this expression. Deep copper color. On the nose, perfection, complexity and your beloved Dalmore profile. Starts with an aroma of a cigar box. Then the classic Dalmore orange and sherry notes appear. It smells bitter on the nose, i don't know how to explain it. Bread, yeast, candied fruits, jelly beans, red (apple) soda. After the first sip, it revealed coffee, caramelized oranges, bitter cocoa and Tiramisú. After a couple more minutes it released brownies burnt crest, vanilla and fondant. Beautiful stuff. On the palate, it was straightforward, but delicious and very rewarding. As a fat guy, i love when sugar sweet notes appear first, and this one has them. Candied fruits, red fruits, pepper. Caramelized apple and some sulphur. Orange peel. It is so thick, it is chewable. Aftertaste is wonderful. Bitter cocoa, tobacco and the most incredible dark chocolate note. It is very ashy, it has some cigarrette notes. Chocolate and tobacco. Overall, this is the good stuff. Having said that, today's expression is better. It just feels older and more round. I really loved this dram, and i am happy to have a full bottle on the shelf (i managed to score two bottles in an auction). Fully recommended, you have to try this one. My score is 97 over 100. Slàinte!

Rich, sweet, vanilla, fruit