Brown sherry, with runny legs in the glass, and rather small beads. The color is unusually dark, especially for a mere 15 months spent in sherry casks.
disagree. Because of this fact, I will go ahead and make the assertion that I have, in the past, tasted fairly excessive amounts of E150a in bottles of Dalmore that I purchased. Why is this position controversial? First off, many whisky critics, and distillery reps alike, will adamantly assert that it is impossible to taste E150a because the substance is tasteless. My answer to them is simple: poppycock. E150a most certainly does have a flavor, and that flavor is pretty much awful, even though it is usually faint, but noticeable all the same: hovering in ones bottle of whisky like a silent-but-deadly fart in a very large room. The majority of the general public seems incapable of tasting E150a, but some of us can. Call it a blessing, and a curse. We supertasters have suffered through the occasional dram, and even the occasional bottle, of this artificial colorant that set our teeth on edge. Yuckety, yuck, yuck. There, Ive had my say. Lets press on, shall we, and see how the Vintage 2001 fares? Tasting Notes Vital Stats: The Dalmore Vintage 2001; 48% ABV; 10 Year Old; 700 ml; Northern Highlands single malt Scotch whisky Appearance: Brown sherry, with runny legs in the glass, and rather small beads. The color is unusually dark, especially for a mere 15 months spent in sherry casks. Nose: Pear in heavy syrup; dark raisin; Black Dragon tea; half and half cream; black pepper; sugary caramel; Dominican cigar wrapper; old books; honeysuckle; honey heather; a hint of oak. Palate: Dried grass; light roast coffee bean; caramel flavor sweetened with saccharine; milk chocolate; fruit cocktail syrup without the fruit; almond paste; under-ripe (tart) pear; surprisingly dry tannin presence from white oak bourbon barrels; and, last but not least, a very slight chemical bite, which is the gustatory equivalent of fingers on a chalk board to those who can detect it. Yes, Im talking about E150a. Finish: Peppery spice with more tannins. I would characterize this finish as medium in length, extended to some degree by the youthful exuberance of a ten year-old spirit. Final Thoughts & Score: In all fairness, I dont detect the phantom signature of E150 as much as I did in past bottlings from The Dalmore. Knock on wood. All the same, this chemical does seem to be present in Vintage 2001. Not enough to ruin the bottle for me, however. There were some quiet and contemplative malt moments. Sipping and thinking is not a bad combination, even when it involves some whisky detective work. Yes, indeed. I enjoyed my syrupy-sweet dram more than I thought I would. The Dalmore Vintage 2001 would make a fantastic gift for a person who appreciates the fine art of packaging and presentation. I double dog dare you to name one warm-blooded man on earth who could resist the Royal Stag of Caberfiedh, perching on a shelf in his liquor cabinet. Its quite simply one of the finest bottle designs that Ive ever seen. Be this as it may, the Vintage 2001 is not the sort of gift one might gift to an aficionado of craft-oriented distilling. But, then again, how many die-hard single malt Scotch whisky aficionados are there in the world? We are the exception rather than the rule, and Dalmore seems to be banking on this fact.
