Established in 1839, The Dalmore distillery is located in the Scottish Highlands on the northern shores of the Firth of Cromarty. For nearly a century the distillery was owned by the Clan Mackenzie, whose influence is now seen on every bottle of The Dalmore – Taken from the Mackenzie family crest, each bottle of The Dalmore is adorned with the iconic royal stag’s antlers.
To further honor the Clan Mackenzie and a heroic act by one of their ancestors, Master Blender Richard Paterson crafted The Dalmore King Alexander III to honor the act of saving Scotland’s King in 1263.
Story has it that an ancestor of Clan Mackenzie saved King Alexander III of Scotland from being gored by a stag while out hunting. The grateful King granted him the right to bear a stag’s head, a ’12 pointer’ or ’Royal,’ in his coat of arms – Hence the logo today. The legend of Clan Mackenzie has been immortalized by Benjamin West in his painting ‘The Death of the Stag.’
The Dalmore King Alexander III is a complex whisky in more ways than one. It is a marriage of whisky matured in six very different and specially selected casks including ex-Bourbon casks, Matusalem Oloroso Sherry casks, Madeira casks, Marsala casks, Port pipes and Cabernet Sauvignon wine barriques. Each cask gives its own unique influence on this whisky and together forms quite a unique spirit.
Price: Approx $200/750ml
ABV: 40%
Color: Amber
Nose: Just lovely and all these casks are mingled quite nicely. French toast with powder sugar and light syrup, all sorts of fruit – Clementine, raspberry, plum and grape – chocolate toffee, vanilla cream, sweet pastry, oak, fig and coconut shavings.
Palate: Tangy orange, floral honey, black cherry, almond, vanilla pastry, a bit of chocolate malt, nutmeg and perhaps a hint of lemon cough drop.
Finish: Short to moderate with citrus zest and spices.
Another Dalmore that falls short on the palate, which is unfortunate because the nose on this whisky was quite complex and really something wonderful – Got lost in there for a good 20 minutes. I try not to get into this too often, but I really feel this whisky could benefit from being bottled at a higher ABV, and it should be given the price and story.
