Food and Spirits: This story actually starts more than 700 years ago in Scotland, when a member of the Clan Mackenzie saved the king from being gored by a Highland stag. The kingly reward was that Colin Mackenzie was granted royal permission to use the stag’s head in the Mackenzie coat of arms.
In 1867, the Mackenzies took ownership of the Dalmore distillery, and operated it with distinction for more than a century. The stag emblem continues to embrace the noble qualities of the spirit and appears on every bottle of The Dalmore.
Much of the bespoke qualities of The Dalmore’s color, aroma, and flavor come from using combinations of the distillery’s extraordinary array of wooden casks previously used to age wines from Spain, France, Portugal, Italy, and Madeira, along with whiskey from America. Under the deft hand (and nose!) of Master Distiller Richard Paterson, the inimitable profile of The Dalmore develops. Ranging from voluptuous and soft, to sweet and spicy, the symphony of sensuous nuances is unmistakably The Dalmore.
The Dalmore EOS is 59 years old and limited to 12 mouth-blown crystal decanters in the U.S. Laid down in 1951 in two sherry casks, EOS is an explosion of pear and pineapple, bitter dark chocolate and roasted coffee. Then, hints of peaches, mangos and almonds take over. Caramel, orange, toffee and cinnamon finish the sublime experience. $20,000.
The Dalmore Candela, 50 years old, is a melody of intense aromas of sultanas, ground coffee, chocolate praline and spicy orange peel. Crushed apple, marzipan, molasses and cherries harmo-nize together before hints of caraway and Madeira cake provocatively end the bliss. $13,750.
The Dalmore 1974, 36 years old and limited to 948 bottles, is aged in white oak bourbon casks, previously used in an American distillery, this new vintage release was finished (transferred from the oak casks for additional aging) in a single, 500- gallon Spanish Matusalem sherry butt. $1500.
The Dalmore 1981 Finesse Amoroso is 28 years old and limited to 484 bottles. This beautifully balanced single malt was aged in American white oak bourbon casks for 26 years, then transferred to Amoroso sherry butts from the Gonzalez Byass Bodega, in Jerez, Spain. The Dalmore is the only distillery permitted to source Matusalem sherry wood casks for finishing its single malt at Gonzalez Byass. $1300.
In its Ultra-Premium portfolio, The Dalmore also offers a 40 year old (limited to 1000 bottles) and The Last Drop Cognac (50 years old; limited to 478 bottles). $3500 and $2700 respectively.
More about the $160,000 bottle of single malt – it’s called Trinitas. As the name implies, only three bottles of this extraordinary creation by Richard Paterson were made. Two have been sold to passionate aficionados in the United States and the UK.
For more information on all The Dalmore single malt Scotch whiskies:www.thedalmore.com
