One of the cheaper Dalmores... | Dalmore Port Wood Reserve REVIEW
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- Опубліковано 6 сер 2023
- I've got a single malt scotch whisky from the Dalmore distillery in the Highlands today. This is the Port Wood Reserve. It's a NAS whisky finished in... you guessed it... port casks! I'll taste it and give you my thoughts. Cheers!
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Scores:
0-75 - Crap
75-79 - For cocktails & people you don't like
80-82 - Not bad
83-85 - Getting good here
86-89 - Delicious
90-94 - Awesome
95-100 - Cowabunga Dudes
I had it this week back-to-back with Cigar Malt, and found the port cask to give it a stronger pop And really pleasing mouthfeel. For 1/2 the price, I’m going to buy it at next opportunity.
Nice presentation Geoff.
Value wise, Dalmore 12 Sherry Cask Select is the one to beat in their entire core line.
Agree! 🥃
Hi Geoff, as far as Dalmore go I’ve only had the 12 , needless to say haven’t bought a Dalmore again. Thanks for your honest opinion. Slàinte.
Hah that's fair. The 12 is pretty boring. 🥃
5:19 Who doesn’t love a good dram of furniture polish? 🥃😹
😂😂😂
For Better or Worse, I have always liked Dalmore. The Port finished is one of the most affordable drams (Dalmore). I always have a bottle open and two in spare. I still can't figure out why the sherry select is not more popular. That being said I really like the cigar malt and my special spurge KA III. The cigar malt and KA III are real complex drams that deserve the attention. I understand the E85 and low abv but once they pass my mouth they are worth exploring.
Keep up the good work Gwhisky.
@dougpetty3417 - I'd really like to find the KA III. Very curious to know your thoughts about it and also if you can suggest where to find that one. Thanks in advance.
Top 10 wood varnish next🎉 thanks for video. Think I haven't tried any port finished whiskey yet.
Ah, wood varnish-drinking crowd are pretty scrupulous. Let's hope they like my list. 🥃
The Portwood is one to try when you can find it on sale. Fun whisky to explore and peal of the layers one by one and recognize the red fruit, tobacco and leather. I have a soft spot for it because I got it for a good price a few years ago and drank it on different occasions to share with friends who were all pleasantly surprised. I even 'foodpaired' it with a self designed Flammkuchen with caramelized red onions topped with some blue cheese. Good memories of it but I don't know if I will be replacing it. I fell in the triple-spec-abv+ rabbit hole and don't know if I want to climb out of it to get back to the Dalmore PW. 😂 But hey, this one still does it's work pretty good.👍
Another a thorough review! I bought the Dalmore Cigar Malt after your recommendation...so it had better be good for my first Dalmore when I do open it 😏
A couple of years ago I did a Zoom tasting hosted by Richard Paterson that included Dominium, Port Wood Reserve, Cigar Malt, King Alexander III and Quintessence. The last was arguably the best... but about £1K a bottle! The one I bought was the Dominium (for £74.99 plus shipping, so not outrageous). Despite being the lowest ABV, the King Alexander brightened up really well with a few drops of water, but I didn't think it was worth the price. I didn't hate the Port Wood, but it was my least favourite on the day. As for the underlying quality of the spirit: I have a bottle of Vin's No Nonsense Dalmore for contrast...
I hear the Dominium is pretty good. One I'd be interested in trying if I could find it. Same with the KAIII, but no way I'd dish out the money for it. Cheers! 🥃
I bought a bottle last year and just had a pour from it last night. Initially when I opened it a year ago it had a terrible rotten egg smell due to sulfur. I almost dumped it or gave it away, but decided to give it air off and on by leaving the cork off multiple times for hours each time. About six months later it was finally completely free of the rotten egg smell and it has hit its stride. Now with less than half a bottle left I am enjoying it and will miss it when it’s gone. Great video! Keep up the good work!
Glad to hear it improved with time. Enjoy what's left and thanks for watching! 🥃
Put it in your whisky sauce for steak. Nutty and rich, delicious!🎉🎉🎉
Hi Geoff, thanks for the review. I never ever had an OB Dalmore for the obvious reasons. But my understanding is that the Dalmore spirit is actually very good (so why bury that under all that wood, I wonder?). Furthermore I tend to shy away from any red port or red wine maturation, as I generally feel those flavours are not exactly complimentary to whisky. However. I persuaded myself to buy an IB Dalmore. 11 years old, 55,1%, non-chillfiltered and natural colour, and matured in a WHITE port cask. Paid about €125 for it. Well, this turned out to be an excellent whisky. Perfect company for white chocolate, I would think. Restored my faith in both Dalmore (be it IB) and port (be it the white variant). Cheers!
Interesting. Yes, they do have a lot of cask-forward whiskies, which isn't my preferred style, either. That being said, flavour-wise, I think a lot of them are very well executed. The specs bother me much more than the casks with Dalmore. But yes, the spirit itself is good, too. Dalmore makes some great IBs! The white port sounds fantastic. 🥃
$100 in my area. Quinta Ruban is $60.
Quinta all the way. 🥃
Absolutely one of the better Dalmore offerings. When I was first getting into tasting whisky, Dalmore 12 was my 'wow' whisky but very very soon after that it just got incredibly boring and I haven't touched it since so it sits on my bar for guests who like the bottle, I mean it is a gorgeous bottle. I do enjoy this one and the Trio but I've not connected with the Cigar Malt, there was a weird sour note that came off to me. I'd love to try a Dalmore IB to see the real colours. Cheers Geoff!
On a trip to Scotland I picked up a Gordon & MacPhail bottling of Dalmore. Cask strength, 13 years old, NCF, natural color. I was hesitant to buy it at £129 because it was matured 100% in REFILL bourbon casks. The shop keep assured me it was a beauty, so I grabbed it. Well, the cask influence was still decent, but more like a 10 year old first fill, so the spirit got to speak pretty loudly, without any sherry at high proof. Beautiful golden color without the fake tan. So not what you expect to see, smell or taste from a Dalmore. Guess what? It is fantastic! Shame they can’t do bottlings like this in-house.
Yeah IB Dalmores can be fantastic. They have good cask Plat, but they also have a good base spirit. Shame it's underutilized in the core range. Glad you enjoyed your IB! 🥃
Tried the standard 12, and the cigar malt: both ok 👌🏻 Tried the Alexander III and it was tasty. But I have never bought a bottle and I do like to hear what you think so thanks 🙏 for your straight forward and honest feedback. Take care ciao 👋 S.
Big, Shiny Stag was my nickname in college.
Legend. 🥃
I just had this one at a Jazz bar. It is really nice. Well-balanced, not too dry, not too sweet. I'd daresay this is better than the Glendronach Port Wood, which I'd put at 83, and the Dalmore PWR at 85.
dalmore...Dullmore!
Lol fair. 🥃
Hmmm
I did try the 15, the 12 and the Cigart malt from them at a bar. Probably the Cigar malt was the best but this seems interesting. I will for sure try it next time I see it around and maybe if I like it I wait for it to get a discount at one of my favorite online retailer. Now its 67euro. But good to know there are some good port finish alternatives out there 😁💪
Thanks for the review Geoff!
Cheers 🥃🥃
Thanks for watching, as always. Cheers buddy! 🥃
I never thought I'd be interested in a Dalmore but I like Port maturation and since we share the same taste (most of the time), I might go for this. 75€ here in Sweden. Thanks Geoff
Might be one to sample first. This one doesn't seem to go over well with most people, but I'm a fan. 🥃
After trying the promising but ultimately lacking Dalmore 12 and 15 (you know why), I could see myself enjoying this one. I can dig a Port finish and the price seems at least within the realm of fair.
I agree with your assessment of The Dalmore in general, I had the opportunity to get a SMWS offering and is delicious when offered with proper specs, in this case I have an 8 years old non chilled filtered, natural color and a healthy 60.8% ABV. If you have the chance to try one, I believe it won’t disappoint (no stag bottle, but SMWS bottles are good looking).
PS. $125 2nd fill PX butt.
Great take on Dalmore i always seem to walk past there whisky but did pick up there Travel bottling Dominium seems have good reviews iv not opened mine yet have you tried it yet Geoff
No, sadly I've never seen that one around. Sounds interesting! 🥃
I had one Dalmore, i have completely forgotten which one, it was so boring. Then i tasted the Dalmore Cigar, wow what an awful whisky. The only one i have ever not finished. I got a sample at the Whisky exchange in Edinburgh and a left the glass after two sips, brrr. what a dreadful experience
This happened to me. The Cigar Malt. The only scotch I ever tried that I’d call NASTY. Maybe they had some really bad batches. No clue.
What I've found with Dalmore and perhaps it's just a characteristic of Richard Patterson's exceptional abilities is that with almost every other whisky I can pick out what it is and what they did and for how long because those things are apparent. They're like eating at a restaurant and being able to taste the ginger, garlic, pepper etc. to such a degree that you can go home and recreated it. Julia Child once said that if you can identify the ingredients than there's too much. With Dalmores I don't feel like the whisky is a combination of ingredients with individual flavors that coexist but rather something else completely. All of the different elements are married in such a way that the whisky is something on it's own and not easy to dissect. I'm not sure I've gotten this in any other whisky and I think it speaks to his and the other blender's brilliance. People complain non-stop about Dalmore's use of e150a which they can't taste or their chill filtering which they can't tell the difference in a blind test (check IBD's research on this) or their use of a plastic stag on their bottles ad nauseam but in a blind taste test they'll still pick the Dalmore.
I've applauded you in other videos for speaking your mind and I'll do it again here. Some Dalmores are probably overpriced in comparison to some other products but Dalmore has a focused market and they have made an exceptional product for that market and let's be honest, if the other distilleries could get $250 for a bottle they'd be doing it too. Also as for the price you need to be a bit more creative when buying Dalmore. For instance in the states Cigar Malt can run you $250 after tax but in a liquor store downtown Lisbon it's 115 euros, in Paris I can get it for 125 euros so I do.
Glad to hear you enjoy it. I think it's reasonable to criticize the specs and the price tag, but Dalmore is hardly alone in those practices and I suppose it does get an unfair amount of hate. Totally agree that many of their expressions are very well blended and offer up a unique experience. I have no shame in saying I'm a Dalmore fan. That said, I won't shy away from criticising them as I would with any other brand. 🥃
@@GwhiskyNo brands are off the table for criticism. Look at what Macallan used to put out in comparison to what they're doing now. Brands change focus and need to be assessed continually.
I think the hate toward Dalmore is an interesting physiological study though. If Dalmore put their liquid in a dark, unimpressive looking bottle and took 20% off the price what would people be saying about it? I don't hear anyone complaining about the color of Whyte and Mackey which is blended by the same guy using the same liquid. I think because of the design of the bottle (thin and clear) and their positioning themselves as a luxury brand people become overly sensitive toward things like e150a and chill filtering.
Tons of whiskys use e150a to manage batch variation. It has no flavor and is only used to make all bottles the same shade. The law allows up to 2.5% to be e150a however, if you're trying to make each bottle look the same you can't use the entire 2.5% or batches that came out of the barrel dark would look even darker so blenders use about 1% or less. Dalmore's bottle shows off the color and so people assume they're putting an "insane" amount of coloring in their whisky but Dalmore even 100 years ago was famous for aging everything in Sherry casks which adds color. Look at Strathisla 13 in first fill sherry butts which has no added coloring and you can't see through it. Most of Dalmore's coloring is from sherry casks.
It's also interesting that a LOT of whiskys have some e150a and are chill filtered, for instance Redbreast 12 which is extremely popular among the very same people who don't like Dalmore due to coloring and chill-filtering but the difference is Redbreast 12 is cheap and is in a dark bottle.
Consumers have incorrectly correlated non-chill filtered with quality because cask strength whiskys are usually non-chill filtered (including Redbreast 12 CS). However, higher ABV whiskys don't need to be chill filtered due to a lower water content. Consumers in response have associated cheap, low quality whisky with chill-filtering when in fact it is only necessary when the ABV is low. Chill filtering actually adds cost to the whisky as it's an extra step and in the Institute for Brewing and Distilling's extensive blind test nobody could consistently tell the difference between whiskys that were chill filtered or not and they tested Scotches from various categories and the subjects were both men and women. People's ability to tell the difference was no better than 50% in any category.
Distillers probably go mad with conversations like these but marketing departments love it. There are so many new people getting into whisky that I think easy to consume education on the topic of being a whisky consumer is needed. Cheers!
Hi Geoff, really like your videos.
In my market in europe it seems the dalmore port wood is cheaper than the sherry cask select. you can get it for under 70€ and the sherry cask select for under 90€. glenmorangie quinta ruban costs about 55€. would you still consider the quinta ruban the better pick here? i for myself really like the quinta ruban. with the dalmore port wood reserve i have a mustiness i don't adore.
That's fair. Considering it's more expensive, in the video I recommended sampling it first to see if it suits your taste. Personally, I prefer it, but not everyone will. If you prefer the Glenmo and the price is lower, then that makes the decision easy! Thanks for watching! 🥃
Hey Geoff, you talked about the palate and finish but we didnt actually see you taste this one as in your other vids, unless it was edited out?
Sometimes I forget to shoot the sipping part. Hah. 🥃
I have tried most of Dalmore standard and travel exclusive bottling. Not the brand I would buy. Most of Dalmore offering have good nose, but everything fall apart on the taste.
I also noticed all the spices disintegrate after the neck pour.
I do like port wood finish, might try a dram before deciding to buy a full bottle.
Yeah foe this kind of whisky I agree probably best to sample it at a bar or something first. 🥃
I may not be a fan of Dalmore, but I am a fan of Dalmore videos....well Gwhisky Dalmore videos.
I know the feeling. I may not be a fan of badgers, but badgerjeff? Different story...
🥃
@@Gwhisky ha! Touche. Not even honey badgers?! 🥃 cheers bud.
Someone bought me a bottle of Dalmore 15 for Christmas two years ago. It was so smooth in a weird way, it was actually kind of scary. The texture tasted like milk (like the way Brits drink tea; "to smooth the edges").
Thanks for reviewing this one, Geoff.
Not the biggest fan of e150a, not even when they have put enough Dalmore in to significantly adjust the colour.
Think enough said.
Slàinte mhath
😂😂😂
Reviews like this is why I like your channel - one never knows what to expect from you.
I found this Dalmore the worst port finish whisky I have ever had. Classic Dalmore problems - muted, bland, confused, overpriced and intended for pretentious posers without taste. Would never recommend to an enthusiast.
I’m a fan of portwood whiskies and had a sample of this one, however it didn’t impress me.
Fair enough. It's grown on me a lot since I first tried it. 🥃
was waiting for that review in a while ;) i was at first quite impressed by this dalmore but after a while not so much! its an enjoyable dram with a nice cask influence but its def quite young! i would say around 6-8 years which considering the price is a bit disappointing…
Caskrobatics?😃🥃
😂😂😂
Hey Geoff, the Port is running $120 USD here (North Carolina US). That’s crazy overpriced IMO. Even the Sherry Cask is $89 USD. To me, the Sherry Cask is worth $70. I haven’t tried the Port Wood Reserve. If I am going to spend $120, I can find plenty of other options with a respectable ABV, and without the coloring. I am not knocking Dalmore. Yes, the Cigar Malt is good. It’s just jumped way too high in price.
Agree. Absurd prices. I picked mine up for about USD $60 two years ago. Literally half. Good call skipping it. 🥃
I've never paid much attention to Dalmore since there are lots of good single malts at better prices that are 46%+ ABV and naturally presented. For some reason, bourbon drinkers seem to be attracted to Dalmore when they get into Scotch. Since bourbon tends to taste heavily of barrels, I wonder if the cask influence in Dalmore explains this. The next time I see one at a bar, I think I'll give it a try and see if I can figure out why it might appeal to bourbon drinkers. I like bourbon, so maybe I'll find something in Dalmore that appeals to me, though it will probably be hard to justify the price. I also like Port finished whisky. Sagamore Port-finished rye is a favorite of mine lately, but it might be hard to find outside of the United States.
What can you tell me about M & H Dead Sea and or the one with that has a unique finish
Dead Sea is good stuff. Not sure what you mean about the unique finish.
@@Gwhisky the one with the pomegranate wine cask finish
@mugatu101286 Oh, I haven't tried that one yet. Interesting Finish for sure, though.
whats ur take on the Quinta urban 14?
It's good and one of the best value Port whiskies out there. 🥃
@@Gwhisky I've been meaning to try it
It is a pretty bottle period dot. That being said if my shitcoins ever go to the moon I’m gonna buy the whole range to sit on my shelf and look pretty.
🤠😅👍🥂🙋🏻♂️
Not a brand I would ever buy. I did try a cigar malt sample from a £75 bottle and it was ok but worth about £50.
That's fair. Dalmore definitely has some greedy pricing. 🥃
Dal-more money than other equally good or better whisky. Sheesh! This crap is pricey!
how's the internet's number one whisky snob doing today?
Generally fine with some mild lower back issues.
@@Gwhisky thats 40 creeping in, im well past that, it doesnt get better, whisky might help though!
probably pass, save my liver and wallet for something else. :P
Hah fair enough. 🥃
You don’t need to try the 18y old one, it’s not worth to try, wasted money, one of my biggest flops in my whisky life.