Distillery

The Dalmore whiskies

The Dalmore is a northern Highland distillery in Alness, on the shores of the Cromarty Firth. It belongs to Whyte & Mackay. It is one of Scotland’s most recognisable luxury malts, with a twelve-pointed stag on the bottle and a rich style with plenty of sherry, orange and chocolate. Its very old whiskies are among the most expensive ever auctioned, although its regular range is much more accessible.

Founded
1839
Owner
Whyte & Mackay
Origin
Highlands, Scotland
In the catalogue
6 whiskies

History, style and where to startSee it on the world mapThe Dalmore official website

  • The Dalmore distillery, photo 1 of 3
    Photo: Wojsyl · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons (cropped and converted)
  • The Dalmore distillery, photo 2 of 3
    Photo: Alan Jamieson · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons (cropped and converted)
  • The Dalmore distillery, photo 3 of 3
    Photo: Dg-505 · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons (cropped and converted)

6 whiskies

Guide to The Dalmore

History

The distillery was founded in 1839 on the initiative of a local merchant, and in the mid-19th century passed to the Mackenzie family, who ran it for almost a century. The stag emblem comes from the Mackenzie coat of arms, linked to a medieval legend in which an ancestor saved a Scottish king from a charging stag. During the First World War the Royal Navy used the premises to make mines and the distillery suffered a fire. In the 20th century it became part of Whyte & Mackay, whose veteran master blender has shaped the house style for decades.

House style

Dalmore distils in unusually shaped stills, some with flat tops and water jackets that cool the neck, which gives a full-bodied spirit. The house combines bourbon casks with sherry casks from Spanish bodegas and aims for a rich, silky profile: bitter orange, chocolate, coffee, Christmas spices and dried fruit. It uses no peat. The older versions are deeper, with notes of leather and tobacco.

Average flavour profile of its 6 whiskies in the catalogue

Sweet
3.3
Fresh fruit
2.3
Ripe and dried fruit
2.9
Floral and herbal
0.6
Cereal and malt
1.3
Vanilla and creamy
1.8
Oak
2.2
Spicy
2.3
Toasted
2.3
Smoky
0.0
Maritime
0.0
Body and intensity
2.9

Where to start

Dalmore 12 Year Old is the way in: orange, chocolate and sherry in a rounded, sweet style. The 15-year-old adds more sherry casks and gains depth. Cigar Malt Reserve, designed to accompany a cigar, is the most intense and spicy of the three. Drink them neat, without ice, to appreciate the fruit and chocolate.

This text was generated and translated by AI and may contain errors. Founding year, owner and official website come partly from Wikidata.

Explore more

The colours of this page are inspired by the look of The Dalmore. WhiskyMatch is independent and has no connection with the brand.