Bottled last June, this 14yo Dalmore 1996 is one of the latest releases by the chaps of Master of Malt. It was aged in a single refill hogshead. You don’t see many independent Dalmore release, so let’s dive in…
Dalmore 14 yo 1996
(55,5%, Master of Malt 2011)
Dalmore 14 yo 1996Nose: sweet with intense barley aromas. Some porridge. Malt. Apples, peaches pears. Punchy spices: pepper with a hint of mint and ginger. After a while hints of gravel show up, and a very vague smokiness in the distance which helps the neutral, youngish and slightly spirity nose to stand out a little.
Mouth: pretty light and not as sweet as I thought. There are sugary barley notes but they are countered by spirity notes (pear liqueur, plum eau-de-vie) and a slightly bitter grassiness. Lemon zest and tonic. Again pepper.
Finish: medium long, balancing between fruity pear notes and zesty bitterness.
A young Dalmore that’s natural and not entirely typical for the distillery in my opinion. On the MoM website it says “sherry cask”… are they sure about that? I can’t really figure out why they’ve selected this one. Available from Master of Malt for around € 52.
Score: 78/100