The Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve makes no secret of its intended companion. This is a whisky designed to be drunk alongside a cigar — rich enough to stand up to tobacco smoke, sweet enough to complement it, and structured enough to remain interesting through a long evening. Whether or not you smoke, the whisky makes its own case.
The maturation combines American white oak ex-bourbon barrels, González Byass 30-year-old Matusalem oloroso sherry casks, and Cabernet Sauvignon wine barriques. The result is a complex, multi-layered whisky bottled at 44% — a step up from the standard Dalmore 12's 40%, and the extra strength is immediately beneficial.
The nose is luxurious: orange blossom honey, Grand Marnier, oaky old sherry, polished leather, and dried cherries in ruby port reduction. It is a nose that evokes a gentleman's club — warm, dark, and faintly extravagant. The palate is round and medium-bodied: cherry, orange liqueur, sweet sherry, with waves of richness rolling across the tongue.
The finish is long, with oak tannins, a buttery Chardonnay texture, fading black raisins, dried currants, stone fruit preserves, and honeysuckle. The Cabernet Sauvignon casks add a tannic grip that the standard Dalmore releases lack — it is the structural backbone that makes the sweetness sustainable. For those who enjoy richly sherried whisky with real depth, the Cigar Malt delivers.
