#152: Dalmore Cigar Malt

First scotch of round 5! And we're already prepping for round 6. We still have a few brands we haven't tasted yet, but those bottles are getting fewer and further between. We've got some brands we love now, and we've been digging deeper into those. This round it's Dalmore and Glenfarclas. We reviewed the Dalmore 12 back in November 2020. A few of us have stocked it in their cabinets now. Since then Simon got the 18 as a gift, and we'll be starting and ending this round with Dalmore Cigar Malt and Dalmore 15. The Port Wood Dalmore will likely be coming up soon as well.

Dalmore Cigar Malt: 44% ABV, $200 CAD, no age statement, ex-Bourbon - 30 year old Matusalem oloroso sherry butts - Cab Sauv wine barrique barrels used for this.

We sniff around:

Simon starts us off with malty apples. Little vague sherry influence. Fruitiness in the background.

Kyle says red liquorish. Simon likes that.

Scott gets a worn leather note. It's got an older aroma to it.

Trevor goes for maraschino cherry.

Sean gets the sherry influence, some cinnamon and toffee too.

We cheers.

Simon gets that worn leather more on the palate. Maltiness there. Some sweetness, maple syrup maybe?

Scott doesn't quite know how to describe it but it tastes old. He doesn't think that sweetness is maple, more sugar cane.

Kyle points to the bitter oaky note.

Trevor calls it a bitter or bruised apple.

Scott says this tastes like Allsorts. Little salt and pepper mix too.

There's something really old about this scotch. Worn leather and dusty candies.

Not much bite on this one. Smooth. All the Dalmores have been mellow so far. Doesn't feel diluted, the flavors all come through, but easy drinking.

Trevor gets a cough syruppy feel on this. Benadryl type.

Sean gets a slightly burnt flavor, with caramel, vanilla, oranges, and dark chocolate. There's a bitter orange note on the finish.

Reviews: Scott's pick. He's having trouble rating this. He decides on 84. It's got neat stuff going on but he was expecting more. He likes the leathery fruity mellowness of the Dalmores in general, but he probably wouldn't go out and buy this one. Simon thinks this is a great scotch. Dalmore makes great scotches for non-scotch drinkers. It's a little too mellow to rate 90+ in his books, but at the same time this is very fun, lots to dig into and flavors he loves. At $200 it's probably a pass but he lands at respectable 87. Kyle goes 85. He's had this in previous tastings and remembers liking a bit more. That said, he likes the antique flavors here, something you'd find in your grampas basement. He likes the red liquorish note. Good mouthfeel. Trevor hasn't been as impressed with Dalmores. His rating is 75. This is enjoyable, it's doing a couple interesting things, but he wouldn't buy it and it doesn't make him want to reach for it on his shelf. Sean wraps it up with 81, square in the middle. Averages out to 82.4.

Overall: We had high hopes for this but it's unlikely to land on our shelves. Most of us think it's tasty stuff with some unique aspects, but for a $200 bottle we'd want it to rate in the 90s. We will definitely be savouring the rest of our 150 mL sample though.

Cheers!

The S&P Crew.