Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve

Review #048 Spirit Type: single malt scotch Alcohol by Volume: 44% Details: No Age Statement, a blend of ex-bourbon barrels, ex-olorosso butts, and ex-Cabernet Sauvignon casks Followed by: Dalmore Port Wood Reserve Appearance (no score): A deep red-brown hue. When swirled, a thick coating clings to the glass, and slow-moving tears form. Nose: 18/20 Overwhelmingly fruity, with notes of crushed raspberries, ripe plums, sugary cherry icing, milk chocolate, banana bread, vanilla, and cinnamon. It’s incredibly sweet, well-rounded, and a pleasure to smell. Palate: 30/40 Starts out quite muted, offering freshly baked warm wheat bread and walnuts, but lacks any real punch. After a bit, hints of orange, just a touch of plum, dark chocolate, and some caramel emerge. I truly wish some of those vibrant, juicy fruits from the aroma would appear here, as it’s pleasant but still somewhat bland. Finish: 31/40 Lasts a moderate amount of time. Perhaps it's because I usually drink this while smoking a cigar, but I consistently detect a trace of tobacco smoke as the finish begins. Brown sugar is introduced, along with subtle notes of cinnamon, salted nuts, and orange zest. The lingering taste is somewhat bitter. With Water: Warm spices are added to the mouthfeel, and the plum flavor becomes more prominent. These are a welcome boost of taste. However, the finish suffers, becoming noticeably shorter and developing a stronger, bitter nutty profile. Total: 79/100 Final thoughts: It’s crucial to note that I'm evaluating this whisky as a standalone beverage. It's always a fun bottle to open when enjoying cigars with friends, and I keep one for that purpose (if I can get it at a good price), and honestly, for little else. It transforms completely when paired with a cigar, becoming sweeter and expertly complementing the bitter tobacco smoke, but it's not a spirit I would choose for sipping indoors after dinner. Therefore, my recommendations and purchase suggestions are conditional and relate to enjoying it with a cigar, which is not how I scored it in this review (I acknowledge this inconsistency). Frankly, I believe the distillery does this spirit a major injustice by chill filtering it and bottling it below 46% ABV, but I will continue to buy it as long as I can find it under $150 or until I discover a comparable alternative at a better price. Price: $145 Would recommend: yes Would buy: yes

The initial aroma presents a sour and bitter blend of dark berries and sherry, followed by milk chocolate candy, hazelnuts, then sour cherries, Granny Smith apple skin, and orange juice that shift to moderate barrel spices like cloves, ginger, and musty attic air with a noticeable ethanol burn. The taste has a medium body, beginning with a pleasing mix of fruity and floral notes from dark berries, orchard fruits, and light orange blossom, quickly turning moderately bitter with a strong drying spice that gradually fades to dark chocolate orange, dried apple, toasted hazelnuts, and a moderate amount of ashy oak with a medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium in length, featuring dark chocolate orange, subtle floral hints, dried apple, powdered ginger, burnt cloves, and moderate ashy oak. The nose of this spirit is somewhat off-putting with those wine and sherry barrels creating a sour and bitter flavor combination before sweet earthy and nutty notes that give way to sour citrus and dusty wood. The taste began promisingly with a really enjoyable floral, red berry, and orchard fruit mix but was rapidly overwhelmed by a bitter, intense spice that almost never ceased until thankfully some light fruits and nuts appeared alongside ashy oak that finishes dry and dusty with chocolate, citrus, and faint floral notes. The combination of aging in American white oak ex-bourbon casks, Matusalem oloroso sherry casks, and Cabernet Sauvignon barriques appears to have produced a sour, bitter, and spicy blend that I personally find overpowering and drying. At the approximate cost of $200 in my area, this is a definite pass, and much better whiskies can be found for significantly less.

Aroma: Ginger, honey, orange marmalade, dried fruit, vanilla essence, a little clove. Taste: Sweet, mild arrival with honey, vanilla nougat, raspberry coulis and apricot Danish. Leathery malt emerges in the development along with tropical fruits, toffee and cacao. The texture is neutral, but the taste is moreish. Conclusion: Medium: There is a sustained bittersweet orange and milk chocolate note. This is nothing like I expected. It’s a light, elegant, sweet and easy to drink malt that shows very restrained sherry cask influence (which is not a bad thing). The profile is not particularly complex, but everything works extremely well in combination. The taste follows the aroma closely and there are no surprises here, just a well-constructed, soft and highly approachable whisky. Don’t add water, it is superfluous. I don’t understand the name. Yes, I do enjoy the occasional cigar and yes I did partake while enjoying my second pour of this whisky (for … science). However it is no better matched to cigars than any other single malt, and for me anyway a good cognac beats any whisky hands-down when it comes to pairing with tobacco, but meh, that's just my taste and no criticism of this dram. The only issue I have with this whisky is the price, which is outrageous. “Very Good” “ 86/100 (4 stars)

N: Yep, I want to climb into this glass and swim in it. There’s thick sticky caramel, biscuits, coffee, burnt brown sugar, and some fresh citrus zest. A jammy sherry cask influence indeed. P: A completely palate coating stickiness yet it remains light, a cool juxtaposition of texture and weight. Caramel and slightly woody toffee. Citrus zest and more sherry cask influence. There’s a leatheryness in here too that is very enjoyable and adds savoury balance. F: Medium-long. A spicy and zesty after taste explosion. Gentle cinnamon, cloves and citrus peel linger in stickiness. This is excellently made, balanced and delicious. I would, if given it, drink a pint of this without thought. My only complaint is that this is perhaps simple. You do not need to work to enjoy this or find what it has to offer, is that a bad thing? No, absolutely not. But I expected, and want, more depth and subtlety, a liquid of this magnitude, opulence, and price should deliver that.

Aroma: crème brûlée, vanilla, faint raisins, berries soaked in spirits. Flavor: Consistently berries soaked in spirits, with vanilla ice cream, banana bread, raisins, rich and oily texture. A medium-short finish featuring red berries. While I'm not a huge fan of non-age-statement spirits, this is undeniably a high-quality product, pleasant and easy to consume. Rating: 4.50 ____________________________________________________________________ Nose: crème brûlée, vanilla, light raisins, berries soaked in alcohol. Palate: Continually berries soaked in alcohol, with vanilla ice cream, banana bread, raisins, dense and oily. Medium-short finish with red fruits. I am not a big proponent of NAS, but this is certainly an excellent product, agreeable and simple to drink. Score 4.50

This Single Malt Scotch Whisky, hailing from the Scottish Highlands, boasts a rich profile. Seventy percent of the casks for its maturation are Matusalem Gonzalez Byass Sherry casks, each over twelve years old, followed by a finishing period in premier cru Cabernet Sauvignon wine barriques. Its beginning is clean and enticing, offering flavors of caramel, biscuits, coffee, and Walker's shortbread cookies coated in dark chocolate and toffee. The middle stage is opulent and refined, revealing notes of burnt cinder toffee, ignited orange peel, sultanas, and sherry. The finish is smooth and of a moderate duration, featuring hints of lemon, orange zest, clove, and a touch of cinnamon. Dates mentioned: November 2018 / January / March 2019 / June 2020 / August 2022.