"The Gentle Spirit"

Posted on: October 7, 2016 at 12:10:19 CT

Dawlhinne 15 yo is a subtle as the most popular brands like Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, or Glenmorangie, but IMHO, it has a more discernible complexity that includes a certain amount of faint smokiness. It was my summer dram until I discovered AnCnoc 12 yo. I still enjoy it, but I also enjoy the money I save from buying the AnCnoc instead.

That being said, I applaud Diageo for waiting until the whisky has aged 15 years before they bottle it. Every whisky has an optimum range of when it reaches it's peak. Some, like Laphroaig, reaches it earlier (10 years) and some later, like Lagavulin (16 years). A huge conglomerate like Diageo could just push out the bottles whenever to maximize short term profits, but they are showing wisdom by waiting to bottle Dalwhinnie at 15 years or Clynelish, for example, at 14 years.

There's only two expressions of Dalwhinnie available...the 15 yo, and the Distillers Edition that is essential the 15 yo that spent an extra year in a sherry cask.

I'm a sucker for pride of place, and Dalwhinnie is the most isolated distillery on the Scottish mainland, and at the highest elevation. One of the duties of the distillery manager is take readings for the Scottish weather service.

Edited by BB63 at 12:33:07 on 10/07/16