Dalwhinnie Winters Gold 43%
Tasted: Feb 2019
The nose is soft and very waxy with apricot, orange, grilled nuts and a touch of malt. Subtle notes of smoked meat, butter, vanilla and a touch of earthy spice.
The palate is fuller with more toffee’d oak and malt. Hints of waxy citrus, barley, heather and meaty notes follow. The oak really comes through on the middle. Long, chewy and toffee’d with lingering malt, heather and a slight saline finish.
Dalwhinnie 15 year old 40%
Tasted: May 2005
Clean, dry and light on the nose. A curious mix of chlorine fresh orange/ lemon fruit, heather, oak, salt and a gentle peat. Dry on the palate, sweet and silky fruit and malt, then comes a wave of sugarand soft peat, finishing with cocoa, salt and sweet honey notes. Very pleasant.
Dalwhinnie 15 year old 43%
Re-Tasted: Aug 2012
The aromas are fuller and richer than I remember. It appears that some sherry is now being employed. Quite fruity with some gentle macerated apricot and apple with a sprinkling of cinnamon. The aromas still retain a fresh almost saline like edge. Lovely depth with a touch of herbal honey and a developing fragrant note.
Full, soft and rich. Gently spiced and softly honeyed. There’s a bit of barley, a bit of sherry and a touch of granite but it’s strangely lacking character and dare I say it – it’s become rather homogenous. Still quite pleasant but it would appear that has befallen the same fate as Bunnahabhain. Over use of sherry has stripped it of its elegance and character.
Dalwhinnie 15 year old 43%
Re-Tasted: Sept 2014
A robust nose of rich barley, vanilla honey and hints of heather, earthy-peat, orange, dusty wood spices and lightly oxidised dried fruit. The nose certainly seems bigger than I remember it, mind that was 9 years ago! Although it still has that salty/ mineral freshness.
The palate is full, rich and lightly smoky with some soft wood spices, sweet vanilla honey and hearty barley. Firm but juicy middle with hints of dried fruit, praline and peat. Good length with a fresh salty/ mineral finish and a little bitter woodiness in the after-taste.
Dalwhinnie 15 year old 40%
Code: L9326CM003/ Tasted: Feb 2019
A big, bold, dense, malty and honeyed nose with layers of malt, heather, apricot, barley, marmalade orange, honeysuckle, salty minerals and subtle oak.
The palate opens with a touch more creamy oak followed by malt, barley and subtle meaty notes. Very smooth, mouth-filling and rich with hints of heather, orange and saline-like minerals. Long, slightly citric and mineral finish with lingering liquorice, toffee, heather, malt and wood spice.
Dalwhinnie 1990 (15 year old) 43% Distillers Edition
Oloroso Finish/ Tasted: Dec 2008
Surprisingly the distillery character holds sway, at least to begin with. It’s crisp and has an almost coastal sharpness along with lovely citrus fruit and a suggestion of peat. The Oloroso rides in the background, yet it unleashes a wave of huge orange/ tangerine and liquid orange infused honeyaromas. Lush and juicy with a hint of earth and leafy herbs developing over time.
The palate pretty much mirrors the nose. The distillery character restrains the Oloroso-sweetness so that it is pleasant and mouth filling but never becomes cloying and finish quiet dry.
Dalwhinnie 1995 (16 year old) Distillers Edition 43%
Bourbon – Oloroso/ Dist: 1995 Btl: 2011/ Tasted: June 2012
The nose opens with a beautiful combination of crunchy honeycomb and leafy Oloroso. There is no shortage of coffee wood notes which are very well balanced by the crisp, slightly coastal-like distillery character. Pleasantly mature with some succulent, oily, citrus fruit and chocolate coated orange along with a light, almost peaty note.
The palate is soft and relatively oily, opening with some saline infused citrus and followed by the juicy Oloroso adding hints of toffee, coffee and creamy milk chocolate. There is a touch of dried fruit on the middle and the finish is very intense and citrusy, which mingles rather pleasantly with the bitter chocolate and wood tannins. That citrus note keeps it clean, fresh and balanced. Finally finishing with a lovely mocha aftertaste. Very entertaining and very good!
Whisky According to Chris Whiskyman 