Dalmore Valour

This is a travel retail exclusive from Dalmore. I purchased this bottle after passing on it multiple times during visits to my preferred duty-free shop. I had heard positive things and decided to give it a shot. Eighty dollars later, I left with the 1L bottle, which came in a deep purple box. Let's see what I got myself into. According to the box: “Matured in American white oak and Oloroso sherry wood. Finessed in port pipes from the Douro region in Portugal.” I'm uncertain about the meaning of “finessed in port pipes,” but it sounds like they briefly introduced it to a port cask before removing it. Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked. Bottled at 40% ABV, it's chill filtered and has enough added color to achieve the dark copper shade typical of most Dalmores. The aroma is as potent as one might expect for 40% ABV. Oak and cardboard are present, along with moderate wood spices. Nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice. Chocolate, light toffee, vanilla, maple, and light sherry. Possibly some port undertones, though distinguishing them from the sherry is difficult in this case. Mixed berries, plums, orange oil, and faint candied pineapple. Walnuts and almonds. A hint of furniture polish and a very light citrus. It possesses some complexity, but everything is subtle and nuanced. The only exception is the oak, which is consistently prominent. The taste, much like the aroma, is primarily oak-driven. Dark chocolate and cinnamon, toffee and sherry. Licorice, tangerines/oranges, and dates. Hints of cardboard and sawdust. The oak asserts itself again with some tannic bitterness. A respectable presence for 40% ABV. Medium-light body, thin and dry. The finish is medium in length, featuring oak, tannins, light sherry, and dryness. This is one of the bottles I brought to DC for Whiskyfest, and a friend and I were in general agreement that it was the least impressive offering of the night during our hotel room tasting. I know some individuals appreciate this expression and view it as a worthwhile addition to the Dalmore collection, but I find it to be another of the overly elaborate attempts to please everyone. At times, the aroma shows promise, but then the oak overwhelms everything. The taste follows suit. This is further proof that one must spend considerably more for a Dalmore with genuine depth and character, such as the 18 and the Cigar Malt. While this is a good single malt, it falls far short of being great, earning it a 3.5. Cheers

We're just over a week past the Whiskyfest I attended, and this malt was a sample brought from Detroit by a friend. It's a travel retail exclusive, Dalmore Valour. We mixed this sample with several high-quality spirits: Black Arts 5, Laphroaig Cairdeas Amontillado, Macallan Fine Oak 21, Ardbeg 23, etc. To say it got lost in the shuffle would be an understatement, but my friend was kind enough to give me an extra pour so I could review this one on its own – without all the competition. Here's that review: As I mentioned, Dalmore Valour is a travel retail exclusive. It's bottled at the industry minimum of 40% ABV and has added coloring to achieve a beautiful (though artificial) sunset amber hue. It's also chill-filtered, oily, and produces numerous thin legs and large water droplets in the Glencairn glass. While the snob in me wishes Dalmore would stop all this nonsense with coloring and filtration, the maker knows best... The aroma was immediately fresh-cut oak and pine, a slight sherry cask sweetness, and an abundance of simple sugars. The candy and fruit notes were much subtler than the oak, though. The palate follows suit with plenty of soft sherry, vanilla, and just a hint of bitterness at the end of the sip. Due to the low ABV, the entire sip has a very watery consistency, which shortens the flavor profile much more than it should. The finish is short to medium-short with an overly dry sensation and a thin mouthfeel. Again, this is likely mostly due to the limited time spent in port and oloroso casks and a heavy dose of water to bring everything down to 40%. I'm not sure what my friend paid for this bottle, but I'm going to declare it not worth the price. This is one of the most uninspired Dalmore expressions I've had so far. Sadly, I usually find Dalmore's drams to have some harshness on the palate, but this one lacks that bite, which would have been welcome here. It's a very uneventful, almost flavorless experience. I think we should stick with the age-statement expressions from that team. Definitely skip this one – I can only muster 3 mediocre stars. Cheers.

Yesterday, I held my first whisky tasting party to celebrate World Whisky Day, and I had some excellent drams, including this beauty, The Dalmore Valour. Like the other Dalmore I had (12yo), this one is fantastic. Bottled at 40% ABV, with a marvelous mahogany color. The nose is perfect, with the traditional Dalmore aroma profile, full of blackberry marmalade, cherries, Christmas cake, vanilla, plum, toasted bread, and hazelnut notes. The palate is also great, offering those Dalmore trademark flavors: Oak, cough syrup, maple honey, bread, and vanilla cake. It's full-bodied, and the finish is medium with sweet notes. Wonderful whisky, 89 out of 100, highly recommended, suitable for a family party or a special occasion.

Another good creation from Dalmore. Bought by a friend while he was in Europe, we have the honor of tasting this whisky unavailable in Canada. We enter my preferred fruity and spicy realm. The subtle port presence adds a very pleasant touch to this exclusive creation. Well done!

Sweet and fruity initially, with some sherry and a lot of dark fruits (plum & cherry). Citrus is present throughout, but most noticeable in the aftertaste. It doesn't have a long finish, but what is there is quite sharp.

Meh, and that's all there is to say. A rather dull whisky. What is present reminds you of working in a bad office environment; not only do the flavors fail to cooperate, they seem to actively hinder each other.