Pours a beautiful, oily golden yellow color. The legs are slender but drip slowly. The nose has a ton going on: brown sugar, figs and sugarplums. Marzipan and spicy ribbon candy. Just a touch of white plastic. Kindergarten paste. The barley grains are husky. If the nose has a lot, the flavor has even more: sugarplums, tart candied orange, figs raisins, plump dates, red apple skins. Has a tawny port component right in the middle of the palate. Peppercorn spiciness. There is a little bit of earthy potting soil going on. It evolves with every second you spend with it. The finish is decidedly more grounded: tobacco leaf, cigar box. Fennel and black licorice burst out with a big ice cube. I don't know what kind of barrels Dalmore is barreled in, but I would guess sherry barrels. Just a hint of a chocolate orange. Dalmore 12 is one of my favorite Scotches: it's got plenty of soft aromas and flavors, counterpunched with more spicy qualities. It will always have a permanent spot on my shelf.