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Dalmore Distillery Select 2026 2012 Semisecco Marsala Cask Finish

What happens when Dalmore sidesteps its signature sherry casks for Sicilian Marsala wine? This rare 14-year-old single malt delivers a surprising twist.

OVERALL RATING

8
$475
  • Beth Whymark is a WSET-certified spirits writer and taster, and the former editor of Whisky Magazine (2022 to 2024).
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Tasting Notes

About:

This is the latest release from Highland distillery Dalmore in its Distillery Select series, an annual release of specially chosen casks from its stock. It’s a 14-year-old single malt scotch whisky, first matured in ex-bourbon barrels before a finishing period of one year and nine months in casks that previously held semisecco Marsala, a medium-sweet version of this Sicilian fortified wine. Just 1,110 bottles will be available.
Appearance:
Honey
Nose:
This piqued my interest from the first nose. It’s zesty and sweet but with an elegant fragrance to it. There are notes of honey, crystallised ginger and almond-rich Battenberg cake alongside fresh apricots and violets. Dalmore’s characteristic chocolate and orange notes are there, but they’re lighter than is typical — think white chocolate cookies and fresh clementines.
Palate:
Those floral and fragrant citrus notes continue, with the addition of fresh aniseed-flavoured herbs. There are hints of dried fruit (figs and golden raisins) with honeycomb, sugar-dusted vanilla shortbread, powdered ginger and cloves.
Finish:
It’s gently drying on the finish, with notes of citrus, honey and tea bread.
Comments:
This was not what I was expecting from a Dalmore single malt, but in a really good way. There’s a delightful freshness and fragrance to it, well balanced with a sweet kick from the Marsala. It’s uncommon to see Dalmore whiskies exclusively finished in casks other than sherries, ports and wines — and who can blame Dalmore for this when it has exclusive cask supply partnerships with coveted wine makers? But I hope Marsala cask single malt is something we’ll be seeing more of from Richard Paterson and his whisky-making team.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Beth Whymark

Beth Whymark is a WSET-certified spirits writer, editor, taster and presenter based in the UK. She joined Paragraph Publishing, the company behind Whisky Magazine and the World Whiskies Awards, in 2020, editing Gin Magazine and thedrinksreport.com before becoming editor of Whisky Magazine in September 2022. She led the title until July 2024 and also sat on its tasting panel. After a spell in content marketing for Scotch whisky brands, she now writes about and tastes whiskies from around the world for The Whiskey Wash and other drinks titles.

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