Dalwhinnie, like some of it's sister distilleries, doesn't seem to get mentioned very much in Social Media or blogs - maybe because Diageo haven't created social media accounts or even the distillery's own website - it's just a small part of the drinks giant's mega malts.com website. Although there is a US website.
Let's find out a little more...
Strathspey distillery was built in 1897 by a consortium of whisky businessmen, from the nearby town of Kingussie, where the Great North Road and the Highland Railway meet at 355m above sea level in the Cairngorms. They soon ran into financial trouble and the distillery was bought by A.P. Blyth for his son in 1898, they renamed it Dalwhinnie.
The distillery changed hands a number of times including in when it became the first Scottish distillery in foreign ownership when it was purchased in 1905 by Cook & Bernbeimer, the largest distillers in the USA. In 1934 fire destroyed most of the distillery and left it quiet for four years.
I first visited the distillery in April 1999, only the second distillery I'd ever visited, it was a cold snowy Easter. The twin pagoda room and external wooden worm tubs plain to see. It's a small distillery using a full lauter mash tun, 6 wooden washbacks and a single pair of Wash and Spirit Stills.
Now owned by Diageo, the distillery is a workhorse creating malt for the Buchanan and Black & White blends. Some single malt is bottled - the standard bottlings are a NAS (Winter Gold) and a 15yo, an occasional Distiller's Edition. It's very rare to come across an independent bottling.
Lets see what the whisky is like...
| Dram | Winter's Gold | 15yo | Distiller's Edition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristics | 43% ABV Coloured, Chill-filtered Refill bourbon | 43% ABV Coloured, Chill-filtered Refill bourbon | 43% ABV Coloured, Chill-filtered Double Matured in Oloroso Sherry Wood |
| Distillery notes | An indulgent, honeyed Dalwhinnie that is comforting, rich and sweet, with notes of heather and peat and spicy warmth. Nose: Broad, firm, smooth and clean, yet with a compelling, sweet, honeyed, dessert character that suggests the indulgence to come. Caramel tart on a smear of sharp apricot coulis, or sweet shortcrust pastry offset by orange zest. There’s also a menthol freshness and a modest, smoky note. Palate: Smoothly honeyed, sweet, comforting and rich- textured with a balancing ripe autumn-fruit tartness. Growing spicy, with gingerbread; and later soft, distant smoke. Finish: Exquisitely heart-warming: lingering and comforting with a pleasingly chewy conclusion. Smooth and unctuous with sweet malt, raisins and dark chocolate. | Dalwhinnie 15-Year-Old is a Highland Single Malt from the highest distillery and coldest in Scotland. Smooth, aromatic, heather and honey sweetness. Nose: A big, crisp, dry and very aromatic nose with hints of heather and peat. Palate: Smooth, soft and lasting flavours of heather-honey sweetness and vanilla followed by deeper citrus-fruit flavours and hints of malted bread. Finish: Long, lingering, surprisingly intense finish that starts sweetly, then gives way to smoke, peat and malt. | Lovers of Dalwhinnie will appreciate the way the fragrance of Oloroso sherry overlays but does not mask, the heather honey distillery notes. Nose: Fresh sherry embraces the maltier, more honeyed aspects of Dalwhinnie. Peaty and surprisingly, still heathery. Spicy yet grapy. Palate: A big, spicy buzz followed by an impressive build-up of very clear, well-defined Scotch. After a quick burst of sweetness, a rich, grape effect moves in towards the middle. Finish: Tons of oak. Very, very dry with vanilla dominating. The perfect dram for those in search of a very dry malt finish. |
| My thoughts: | |||
| Appearance |  | ||
| Coloured mid gold in the glass, swirls leave a thin line on the glass which quickly forms beads which fall as quick thick legs. | Coloured mid gold in the glass, swirls leave a thin line on the glass which quickly forms beads which fall as quick thick legs. | Coloured dark gold in the glass, swirls leave a thin line on the glass which forms beads which fall as sow thin legs. | |
| Nose | Spirity orchard fruit and citrus - stewed apples and pears with a little lemon juice. A little honey and vanilla. | Starts with heather and honey, orchard fruit and a little citrus. Smoke and nut notes follow. | Initially very woody, dried fruit, Turkish Delight and orange peel come through with time. Some toffee notes and dried grass. |
| Palate | Smooth buttery arrival, sweet honey and spicy pepper. There are some orchard fruit here, with brown sugar and almonds. Very warming - a little one dimensional but not terrible. | Smooth buttery arrival, a little thicker than the Winters Gold. Orchard fruit, sweet honey and spicy pepper to start. There's a nutty almond note and a little smoked lemon peel. | Smooth creamy arrival, sweet berries, dried fruit and a drying smoke note. A little woody on the tongue, with toffee and hazelnuts. There's a faint coffee note in here too and a peppery spice as the liquid disappears. |
| Finish | Short, sweet honey and spicy pepper with a little vanilla. | Medium length peppery spice with sweet honey and hint of smoke. | Medium length peppery spice with sweet honey and smoke. Nice. |
| Overall | One of the first distilleries I ever visited but not a dram I get to try a lot of. The Winter's Gold, a cheap supermarket bottle, suggests a young whisky, estimates say around 7-8yo, but it's the same price (but often discounted) as the 15yo which is much better. The DE is a different dram (for twice the price) with the sherry cask 'finish' offering some died fruit and berry notes. I always thought of Dalwhinnie as peated but it much be to a very low level - it was difficult to detect except on the DE. I wouldn't bother with the Winter's Gold but go straight to the 15yo if you want to try the distillery character, the DE adds a layer of complexity but is it worth doubling the price? | ||
Thanks to @WesWhiskyDave for the DE sample.
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