Whisky : Dalmore 11 Year SMWS 13.75 “Briny Dancer”

Country/Region : Highlands

ABV : 59.1%

Cask : 2nd Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel

Age : 11 Years (Distilled 31 May 2007)

Nose : Light and delicate, there are fleeting notes of floral strawberry, pink bubblegum, and sugar cane.  Everything is subdued— maritime notes come out as if one were strolling a few blocks from the sea and came across a group of people who just came from the ocean still smelling faintly of salt and sun tun lotion.  Additional seaside notes come forward with aquarium fish tanks, melting pineapple ice cream, and wet bathing suites.

Palate : Creamy and buttery, the body on this dram is oily, thick, and viscous.  Subtle maritime notes come through as a faint sea breeze at first and build over time, especially in combination with the creamier notes to create the impression of lobster bisque.  Lobster comes through even more strongly as a sweet and faintly salty seafood covered in butter with occasional hints of sweet chili crab.  Buttery ghee, buttery pasta, buttery prawns— the butter quality on this dram is absolutely lip smacking.  Melting tropical fruit flavored ice cream comes near the end providing a creamy fruity conclusion. This dram is a complete and rich meal.

Finish : The melted ice cream continues into a velvety long finish. 

Score : 6

Mental Image : Seafood Grill, Butter Shots.

Something Better : Longmorn 25 Year SMWS 7.219 (more distinct tropical fruits, similar ice cream)

Something Similar : Chivas Regal 18 Year (similar butter though more on the nose, less intense)

Something Worse : Nikka Black; Night Cruise (similar grilled prawn/seafood, less complex/body)

Notes : The maritime and cream fruit notes on the nose completely undersell the buttery quality of the palate. The faint maritime hints on the nose become stronger on the palate, the tropical fruit notes and cream turn toward a melting soft serve ice cream, and the sweeter whiffs become lobster and prawns.  This was an excellent bottle which left us imagining a tutu wearing shrimp dancing across a shallow tub of butter.

It took me two or three attempts before I finally got this included in a tasting event.  The reputation of Dalmore as a neon orange whisky, inside of an overly ornate bottle, retailing for ridiculous sums, did not make this dram an obvious one to include.  While we try to include distilleries that tasters have never heard of in order to broaden their (and our own) tasting experience, Dalmore was not anonymous.  Rather than no reputation, there was a less than desirable reputation.  I suppose other members of SMWS US chapter felt the same way because this bottle remained available and in-stock for several months.

I am glad we did include it.  It was a delightful dram that several tasters picked as best of the evening and nearly everyone ranked it as one of the top three.  If we had actually medals to award, the Dalmore would have narrowly edged out a Caol Ila for the Bronze Medal, both beaten by some margin by a Glen Ord and a Glen Scotia.