Last year, luxury scotch distillery the Dalmore launched its first Cask Curation Series. That inaugural collection focused on the distillery’s use of sherry-seasoned casks, an integral part of what defines the Dalmore‘s character. The latest release, however, is a trio of whiskies that were finished in port barrels, another key element in the distillery’s maturation process. We got an early taste of these three single malts and they are excellent.
Each of the new whiskies in the Cask Curation Series Port Edition is a single barrel expression, meaning it comes from just one individual cask instead of a marriage of many, that was aged for several decades in bourbon barrels before being finished in carefully selected vintage port pipes. Specifically, those port barrels come from Symington Family Estates’ Graham’s Lodge. The wood was chosen for its quality and character by master whisky maker Gregg Glass and master distiller Richard Paterson OBE, the latter of whom first came to Portugal in the 1970s.
The details of the whiskies are as follows. The first is a 27-year-old single malt that was finished in a 1997 single harvest tawny port cask and bottled at 49.3 percent ABV. On the palate, you’ll find notes of dark chocolate, fig, molasses, espresso, and toasted nuts. The next whisky is a 30-year-old that was finished in a 1994 single harvest tawny port cask and bottled at 43.9 percent ABV. This is a rich, dessert-like whisky, with notes of raisin, plum, brown sugar, cinnamon, burnt orange, and creme brulee on the palate. The last in the series is the oldest, a 43-year-old whisky finished in a 1952 single harvest tawny port cask and bottled at 41.8 percent ABV. There are tropical fruit notes on the palate, typical of a whisky this old, but they do not overpower and are complemented by flavors of red berries, plum, honey, licorice, leather, and a hint of menthol on the finish. All three of the whiskies were bottled at cask strength, have no color added, and are not chill filtered.
There are two more chapters in the Cask Curation Series to come—the third arrives in 2025 and the last in 2027. Details about what the focus will be have not been revealed yet, just that they will “celebrate the Dalmore’s long-standing relationships with the world’s finest winemakers.” There are only 150 sets of the 2024 Cask Curation Series, 26 of which will be available here in the U.S. with an SRP of $44,450. If you’re interested in purchasing one, you can email consumerservice@thedalmore.com to get more information. And you can find the rest of the Dalmore’s lineup, including the fantastic new 30-year-old expression, available to buy from websites like ReserveBar now.
