Dalwhinnie Winter's Gold

Very interesting. This is meant to be placed in the freezer and then sipped at ice cold temp. So naturally, I first tried it at room temp, as is. It’s unmistakably a Dalwhinnie. There’s still that gentle, balanced palate with crisp apple, fruits and honey, plus a touch of peat smoke - the notes that the distillery is known for. It reminds me an awful lot of the classic 15, but with a few noticable changes. The difference here is in two places. On the nose, I think there’s a lighter fruitiness that I would maybe liken to apricot. I don’t believe it suffers much ar all in comparison to 15 in this regard. However, on the palate, it’s less balanced. A hint of spice and bitterness jumps up, and this detracts somewhat from the honeyed, crisp-apple finish that we get on the 15. In my opinion, this does diminish the palate/finish just a touch, but the quality is still well above average. Now, to try it as the distiller’s intended, after a long stay in the freezer…. With the newfound frigidity, not much has changed on the taste front (which is unsurprising because that’s not how taste really works), although I did notice a slight dissipation of the bitterness on the finish as it’s overpowered by the chill. Beyond that, I can definitely say that the flavor profile plays out nicely at the low temp. The whiskey works either way, whether you drink it chilled or at room temp. But I have to say (and I could just be a hapless victim of the marketing) I think I do prefer it chilled as the distillers suggest. Altogether, it may fall a hair short of the 15, but I think this is a really cool offering from an amazing distillery. Definitely worth a try.

Tastes cheap on first sip. Not pleasant, but soon gives way to grainy oats and sweetness. Not great on the nose though.