A Highland single malt, distilled 23rd April 2013 and bottled 8th September 2021. Matured in sherry cask number 800457. Outrun is limited to 201 bottles.
Appearance: Copper gold/dark ale. The viscous film that forms quickly on the glass releases a few medium/thick legs. Some beading on the swirl line and a few teardrops.
Nose: Sweet milky mocha. Candied dark fruits in syrup. The ABV is evident but not unfriendly, it complements the darker coffee and chocolate notes well.
Barrel char emerges soon after the initial notes, adding a tannic and ash-like quality.
Once the glass has matured the sherry influence starts to appear more freely in the form of sweet plum jam.
Palate: A nice oozy mouthfeel with a hefty smack of black pepper and red chilli flakes. There is a ‘sweetness’ but it’s not anything, in particular, more of an artificial sweetener.
There’s a definite chest warming from the ABV too!
Other than that I’m only really getting an unpleasant astringency and bitter citrus note.
Finish: Medium to long. The spice and astringency continue for some time on the finish. It’s just not a nice set of flavours (for my tastes).
Overall: I wasn’t overly impressed with Dalmore at previous tastings of their core offerings and this CS version still doesn’t do it for me. I can’t get on with the flavours at all. The false sweetness, coupled with the astringent citrus element is just not nice.
