Dalmore The Quartet (1L)

Product Information

Without prejudice to the section Liability below, the Service may be temporarily unavailable during maintenance, updates, etc. We shall make reasonable efforts to inform you of any unavailability due to maintenance or updates. The three no-age-statement Dalmore whiskies – The Trio, The Quartet and The Quintet – are said to have been inspired by the distillery’s King Alexander III expression, which is matured in six different cask types. The finish on this whiskey is surprisingly short, lasting less than a minute and without any real lingering flavors. But I guess that’s expected — you don’t want the flavor of your whiskey to ruin the flavor of your next puff on a cigar. On Ice

The Dalmore Ensemble Collection used to be the travel retail offering from Dalmore distillery. It consisted of The Trio, The Quartet and The Quintet. Inspired by musical works of art, they ‘composed’ whiskies finished in 3, 4 or 5 cask types. There’s a lot going on in the aroma of this whiskey, and I think I’m getting notes from just about every facet of the process. There’s a bit of caramel and vanilla that seems to be from the bourbon barrels, some sweet honey and melon presumably from the sherry casks, a bit of darker fruit like a splash of cabernet sauvignon from the obvious cabernet sauvignon cask source, and a hint of peat smoke pulling the whole thing together. The great thing is that none of that is in conflict or clashing, the aromas all mix together excellently well. The original Dalmore Cigar Malt, introduced in 1999, took the distillery’s base single malt whisky and matured it first in previously used American bourbon barrels, before moving to 30 year old sherry casks. As mentioned, that whisky was discontinued in 2009, much to the chagrin of whisky consumers everywhere. We may sell, license, transfer, assign or in any other way dispose of the Service (including Members) to any third party without any notification to you, e.g. (but without limitation) in connection with any reorganization, restructuring, merger or sale, or other transfer of assets. Thankfully, there are perks to being a spirits writer, when it comes to setting up tastings. In the last few years, I’ve been consistently expanding my knowledge and tasting data of classic Scottish malt distilleries, falling in love along the way with the likes of GlenDronach, Oban, Arran and Glenfarclas. There was one prominent Highland name on my list, however, that I’d never sampled: The Dalmore. Figuring it was time to finally familiarize myself with this particular, sherry-rich lineup, I reached out to the distillery and ultimately ended up with samples of all 7 core Dalmore expressions.An evolved take on the process used in The Dalmore 12, the 15-year expression is aged for 12 years in American bourbon casks before being split between three different styles of sherry woods: Amoroso, Apostles and Matusalem, for the rest of its maturation. The three threads are then merged together once again, creating The Dalmore 15. The distillery refers to this bottle as “the epitome of our house style,” suggesting perhaps that this expression is what they see as their true flagship, as it were. Like the 12 year, this is only 40% ABV (80 proof). Today we’re having Dalmore The Quartet. This consists of first-fill bourbon casks, Apostoles Palo Cortado and Matusalem Oloroso casks (both from Bodegas González Byass) and Cabernet Sauvignon wine casks. Usually with a bit of ice, the more delicate flavors tend to drop out of the running and the richer flavors get toned down a bit. Especially in finished whiskies, that usually means the flavors from the finishing process are the first to go. And, in general, I think that’s what happened here.

Dalmore The Trio has been matured in three different types of cask: first-fill ex-Bourbon, 10-year-old tawny Port and 30-year-old matuselum Sherry. No partnership, joint venture, agency, or employment relationship is created as a result of your use of the Service. Mouth: a nice sherry influence albeit with a sharper, slightly tannic red wine edge. Raisins, a lot of liquorice and pepper. Tangy ginger and clove. Gingerbread and wine soaked pears too. Then dark chocolate and orange peels, plus some red fruit jam. The Service has been prepared by us solely for information purposes to Members and the Service is based on information we consider reliable and we obtain the contents of the Service from a number of different third party sources (including Contributions), but we do not endorse, support, represent, warrant or guarantee the completeness, truthfulness, accuracy, or reliability of the Services and any information therein. Dalmore The Quartet, which is described as ‘refined and fragrant’ with a ‘rich flavour profile of red grapes and juicy raisins’, has been matured in four cask types: first-fill ex-Bourbon, 30-year-old matusalem Sherry, 30-year-old apostoles Sherry and Bordeaux Cabernet Sauvignon wine casks.The Dalmore has a number of notable firsts. It was the first single malt exported from Scotland (to Australia) in 1870. For much of its history it has been ranked among the largest distilleries in Scotland. Its current production capacity of 4.2 million liters of pure alcohol still places it among the top quartile of Scotch whisky distilleries. Unless mandatory applicable law provides otherwise, your use of and membership to the Service are exclusively governed by Dutch law. We shall first try to settle any dispute over a dram of whisky. Disputes that cannot be settled over multiple drams of whisky shall be solely submitted to the court of Amsterdam, The Netherlands unless mandatory applicable law provides otherwise. The Dalmore’s age-stated expressions hew to a certain archetype of classic, sherried Highland malt, while the NAS selections are a bit more on the free-wheeling side, differentiating themselves in their styles of finish, unique flavor profiles and variation in proof point. Perhaps unexpectedly, the second cheapest Dalmore expression, Port Wood Reserve, is also the strongest in the entire core lineup, at a still fairly modest 46.5% ABV (93 proof). As the name would suggest, this entry shifts its focus away from the typical sherry and onto secondary maturation in aged tawny port pipes, with the added punch of proof clearly meant to give it another distinguishing characteristic. Something I will note is that this seems to go better with a darker and richer maduro cigar rather than something like a Connecticut shade. The richer flavors in the maduro cigar seem to blend better with what’s in the glass and provide a generally more flavorful experience.

Following a lengthy legal battle, the family rebuilt the distillery and continued producing whiskey, which was primarily used in blends for other brands. However, they did produce a single 12 year aged version of a single malt whisky under their own label during this time. If any provision of these Terms is held invalid, the remainder of the Terms shall continue in full force and effect. Condensing is also unusual. The spirit stills have external shell and tube condensers which lie horizontally. This mirrors the old worm pipe which lay in the burn which runs outside the stillhouse. Typically, scotch whisky (at least, somewhat “good” scotch) will come in a sleeve of some sort to protect the bottle and keep it from being harmed by any sunlight that may get to it. That’s the case here as well, but they seem to have gone a bit above and beyond with the box. It’s constructed from heavy cardboard with a smooth exterior, with the top being held in place magnetically. This whiskey was born to do one thing and do it well: pair with a good cigar. And, in this aspect I think they hit the nail on the head.You are responsible for all activities through your account. You are responsible for the accuracy of the information you provide to us in relation to your account, and for updating it where necessary. You are not allowed to create multiple accounts. We may terminate or temporarily suspend your account to protect you, ourselves or our partners from (suspected) identity theft or other (suspected) fraudulent (e.g. false, misleading, deceptive) activity. You have the obligation to keep your login credentials confidential. You shall not authorize any others to use or access your account.

The Dalmore 12 year old is aged in bourbon barrels for the first nine years, after which half of the remaining spirit is aged for an additional three years in sherry butts that previously held Matusalem Oloroso sherry, while the balance continue their aging in previously used bourbon casks. Matusalem is a type of Oloroso sherry that is sweetened by the addition of a little Pedro Ximénez (PX) sherry, which is produced from partially raisinated grapes and is intensely sweet and syrupy. To qualify as a Matusalem, the sherry must be produced from a solera with a blend averaging at least 30 years old. The name is derived from Methuselah, the grandfather of Noah, who, at 969 years of age, was the longest-lived person in the Old Testament. Tasting Notes Nothing in the Terms shall exclude or limit our liability for fraudulent misrepresentation or for death or personal injury resulting from gross negligence or willful misconduct by us. Whiskybase B.V. is the Dutch private limited liability company, having its statutory seat in Rotterdam, The Netherlands and its office at Zwaanshals 530, 3035 KS Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Whiskybase B.V. is registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce under no. 52072819.

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We may, but are not under any obligation, to release new functionalities and tools or other features for the Service every now and then. Any new functionalities, tools and features shall be part of and governed by the Terms from the moment they are launched and/or available. Further, we reserve the right to modify, change, discontinue the Service, add or remove features, update the Service, change its appearance, temporarily and permanently, at any time, in whole or any part thereof. Lastly, Dalmore The Quintet is said to have flavours of ‘exotic fruits drenched in maple syrup’, owing to its maturation in ex-moscatel, malmsey madeira, 30-year-old matusalem Sherry, 10-year-old Port and Bordeaux Cabernet Sauvignon casks. With a chunk of ice added, all I’m really left with is a bit of honey from the malted barley, some of the caramel and vanilla from the bourbon barrels, and a bit of peat smoke rising through the flavor profile. Interesting to note is that the peat smoke wasn’t a major component in the neat flavor profile, but the added ice gives it a bit of room to make an appearance.