The Dalmore's prestige releases all share a single architectural principle: long maturation in American white oak ex-bourbon casks, followed by finishing in sherry wood from Gonzalez Byass. Twenty-eight years on the Cromarty Firth, in warehouses cooled by the salt wind off the Moray Firth, leaves its mark on a heavy oily spirit. The wash stills at Dalmore are unusually tall and flat-topped, the spirit stills wear cooling jackets, and the new make that emerges is dense and well suited to long sleep.
This release was matured initially in ex-bourbon barrels before being finished in a combination of Matusalem and Apostoles sherry casks under the eye of Richard Paterson. The man has worked at Dalmore since 1970 and has effectively shaped the modern identity of the distillery, and his hand on the older stocks is steady and deliberate.
The nose opens with dark orange marmalade, antique leather and cigar box — the kind of aromatic furniture one finds in a country house library — with dark chocolate and old polished oak behind. The palate carries bitter orange, espresso, dried fig and walnut, with demerara sweetness and a sliver of liquorice. At 43.8% the spirit is generous without being heavy, and the wood is integrated rather than dominant.
The finish is very long and dry, leaving cocoa, oak tannin and a slow trail of citrus oil. The 28 sits in that quiet upper register of Dalmore where age and cask agree without argument. Paterson's stag has roamed a long way for this one, and the result rewards the journey.
