Dalwhinnie 29yo 1973/2003 (Special Releases 2003)

Dalwhinnie 29yo 1973/2003 (Special Releases 2003)

Official bottling
Single malt - Central Highlands
Golden 
57.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, mangoes, bananas, cream, white chocolate, nutmeg, cinnamon. With water, honey, pencil lead, cream, sandalwood. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, expands, volatile, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Honey, bananas, cream, vanilla, nutmeg, gooseberries, pencil lead. With water, malted grains, mangoes, honey, pencil lead, cream. 
Finish: Long. Nutmeg, gooseberries, mangoes, cream, white pepper. 

Comments: 

Lots of tropical fruit again, with plenty of sweet honey and bananas. There’s a slightly grapy, maybe gooseberry tang to this, and the finish is spicy and creamy. Utterly lovely.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Dalwhinnie 25yo 1989/2015 (Special Releases 2015)

Dalwhinnie 25yo 1989/2015 (Special Releases 2015)

Official bottling
Single malt - Central Highlands
Golden yellow 
48.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, chocolate, mangoes, peaches, wet stones, papayas, cream, vanilla. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens slightly, cool, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Mangoes, peaches, wet stones, pencil lead, cream, white grapes, honey, malted grains. 
Finish: Long. Pencil lead, white pepper, white grapes, mangoes. 

Comments: 

Fruity and minerally, with a pleasing note of pencil lead. Plenty of tropical fruit and cream, something that really ups the complexity. I love the long minerally finish.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Dalwhinnie 30yo 1989/2020 (2020 Special Release)

Dalwhinnie 30yo 1989/2020 (2020 Special Release)

Official bottling 
Single malt - Central Highlands
Dark gold 
51.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Malted grains, orange peel, white grapes, leather, brass polish, hints of honey. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, static, slightly tingly, warm. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. White grapes, vanilla, nutmeg, lemon zest, leather, honey, hints of smoke. 
Finish: Medium. Limes, brass polish, white pepper, walnut skins, honey. 

Comments: 

Starts off malty and fruity, a little citrus too. But that leathery peat starts to come through and lingers through to the finish. It’s also quite spicy, lots of pepper and nutmeg. Highly delicious. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Dalwhinnie Winter's Gold

Dalwhinnie Winter's Gold

Official bottling
Single malt - Central Highlands
Golden honey
43% ABV
Bottle

Nose: Honey, cinnamon, blackcurrant cordial, honeycomb, hints of orange blossom. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, slippery, turns airy. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Walnut skins, vanilla, honeycomb, orange blossom, dark chocolate, hints of leather. 
Finish: Medium. Honeycomb, orange blossom, blackcurrant cordial, vanilla, hints of peaches. 

Comments: 

This whisky is meant to be tried straight from the freezer, but I think it's actually better at room temperature. There's the distinctive honeyed Dalwhinnie character, and additional layered notes of chocolate, orange blossom, and something very much like leather. It's delicious, and, whilst I normally think 40% ABV is a little weak, in this instance it's quite appropriate. The whisky is extremely easy drinking and gentle, and lovely when relaxing in this awful lockdown.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Dalwhinnie 30yo (2019 Special Release)

Dalwhinnie 30yo (2019 Special Release)

Official bottling
Single malt - Central Highlands
Pale amber
54.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Mint, raisins, milk chocolate, cola nuts, butter, marmalade. With water, peanut butter, white grapes, marmalade, hints of jasmine. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, slippery, turns airy. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Black tea, milk chocolate, marmalade, peaches, leather, hints of raisins. With water, peaches, white grapes, butter, hints of winter melon. 
Finish: Medium. Marmalade, peaches, butter, hints of peanut butter. 

Comments: 

Another rarely released distillery (even amongst the indies), which reminds me, I have a bottle of Winter's Gold that I need to open. This whisky is really multi-layered, plenty of jammy notes on the top, concealing a core of leather, peanuts and butter. So much fruit, so much leather, a little less floral notes. Intense even with water.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Dalwhinnie 25 yo 1987/2012 Special Release

Dalwhinnie 25 yo 1987/2012 Special Release

Official bottling 
Single malt - Central Highlands
Amber
52.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peaches, raisins, dried cherries, salted butter, peanuts. With water, chillies, peanuts, vanilla, cookie dough.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, turns sticky.
Tasting: Sweet. Chillies, peaches, raisins, dried cherries, vanilla, cookie dough, peanuts. With water, more peaches, vanilla, cookie dough, all these notes double and drown out the rest.
Finish: Long. Cookie dough, vanilla, peaches, raisins, hints of coconut .

Comments:

Tasty, surprisingly sweet and fruity. With water, the Dalwhinnie character - something I label cookie dough, after the Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavour - comes out very strongly. Also turns spicy, and very slightly woody and nutty.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Dalwhinnie 16 yo 1990/2007 Distiller's Edition

Dalwhinnie 16 yo 1990/2007 Distiller's Edition

Official bottling
Single malt - Central Highlands
Dark amber
43% ABV
Bottle

Nose: Raisins, toffee, salt caramel, heather, honey, blueberries, smoke, hints of peat.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, static, slightly watery around the edges.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Salt caramel, honey, toffee, blueberries, peat, smoke, hints of almond nougat, hints of peaches.
Finish: Medium. Peanuts, honey, toffee, blueberries.

Comments:

Cask reference O.SO 312, matured in oloroso sherry casks. I drank this on a beach in Indonesia, on a diving trip. It was surprisingly appropriate. Despite the oloroso influence, it still has some dry, unsherried characteristics. Very smooth and drinkable.

Verdict:

I like this.

Dalwhinnie 15 yo

Dalwhinnie 15 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Central Highlands
Gold
43% ABV
Bottle

Nose: Sherry, beer, coconut, salted butter, vanilla and mint. Some very slight smokiness.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens in the mouth. Egg white, mouth coating.
Tasting: Sweet. Cookie dough, vanilla, sherry, cream. Hints of smoke and tobacco leaf.
Finish: Medium length. Peanuts, some tamarind, slightly astringent.

Comments:

Subdued, but stimulates the mouth gently. The flavour hits are like little pokes, especially the tobacco hints. When not concentrating quite a lot of the complexity in the whisky is lost. Definitely not a quick drinking whisky - rewards concentration. Also good with nuts.

Verdict:

I like this.