It’s 2020. It’s December. Let’s shut this year down with a brand new whiskey (or whisky) every day. It’s my own personal whiskey advent calendar. +6! Dec. 23, 2020 So yesterday I may have omitted one additional reason I wanted the Dalmore 12. It’s because another sample that was generously given to me was this Dalmore 15, and who doesn’t love an excuse to drink a little extra for science? I’m drinking this sample side-by-side with my Dalmore 12. Thanks again, @PBMichiganWolverine ! Nose is similar to the 12, but the sherry influence is far more pronounced. I can still get vanilla, but the raisin is the main player now. I detect none of the pickle/brine from the 12, but there is a musty note that I could call oak & leather. However, I think that’s lingering bourbon speak, so I’m tempted to slap myself on the wrist, get imaginative, and call it garlic and curry here. I only marginally stand behind that last note. Wow. There’s a ton going on with this body. This reminds me immensely of a Sauternes finished whiskey. The raisin, and vanilla are there. Also cream, and that musk is back. Whatever that is, it’s my least favorite part. Finish is all over the place. Some sips leave a juicy, grape juice flavor, some leave cinnamon. That musk is there still. I got orange on a few pulls. I couldn’t get the same chocolate notes that I could get from the 12, but there’s also no saltiness to avoid. It’s sweet or spicy, depending. So I’m not sure exactly what Dalmore 12 or 15 cost normally, but a few minutes of google magic reveals to me that this is typically $40-$60 more than the 12. The sherry influence is far more pronounced in this 15, and while that does add some juiciness and some flavor density on the sherry-finished side of things, I believe that it also introduces that grape musk that I wasn’t too crazy about. Dollars be damned, the 12 year and the 15 year would be equal in my heart. There’s a clear trade off being made here, and I’m skeptical that there’s an objective winner. That said, the 12 year is solid, and for me to double the price of it to get this 15... I just don’t think that’s something I would ever do. Since my favorite whiskey is the whisky I haven’t tried yet, tonight this 15 year was my favorite whisky. But tomorrow, I don’t think I would rush to the store to get a bottle, like I have for some of the scotches I’ve been exposed to this December. ‘Tis the season. I’m day-to-day on my whiskey selection, so if you’re reading this and there’s something readily available out there you’d like me to enjoy/suffer through this holiday season, leave it in the comments. Merry whiskey to all, and to all a beer flight!