Dalmore Vintage 2001

48% abv

Score:  84/100

Nifty l’il Dalmore here.  A limited edition vintage release from 2001.  Seeing as this was bottled in 2011, you’re looking at just a young’un.  10 years old actually.  The malt, while still recognizably young, behaves a little older than its years, in carrying some rather heavy dried fruit notes and lumbering vanillins.  Sherry influence meets the affects of active cask vanilla leaching meets young spirit.  Or so I’d guess anyway, but hey…that’s only a guess.

While the distillery is not in the top tiers for my personal affectations, I do like the rather consistent approach they take to producing whiskies.  Each is unique, but bears certain hallmarks.  Recognizably Dalmore, in other words.  Carving out your niche in a rather saturated whisky market is to be lauded.  And man…do I love the 12-point stag’s head adornment on each bottle.  Dalmore looks sexy sitting on the shelf.  No extra points; just sharing a personal positive bias.

As of now, I’m not 100% certain what the outturn was for this release, but I would imagine several thousand bottles would be a safe bet.  Information on this one, in my wee meanderings, has been rather sparse, but the backstory isn’t as important as the future.  And the future, for this guy, holds another dram.  So let’s get on with it.

Nose:  Big, big, big florals.  Like eating freshly churned vanilla ice cream out of freshly carved oaken bowls.  Malty.  Orange marmalade and pepper.  Some dried fruits, cinnamon and candied ginger.  Maybe some syrupy pear…maybe apple…either way, some white fruit.

Palate:  Wine-ish.  Some coffee notes and dark chocolate.  Dried fruits and figgy bits.  Moves on into tannic plum skins.  Some nuts and oak.

Enjoyable dram, of course.  In case you couldn’t tell. 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Dalmore