There are some distilleries you play love/hate games with and in my case one of them would be Dalmore. I usually just can’t stand the caramel and the chill filtration they do with their official line up, hence the sparseness of Dalmore reviews here. Of course when you go to special aged editions the situation is a tad bitter (like the 1981 Amaroso I reviewed) but the global picture is pretty gloom.

That’s why I was happy to receive a sample of an indie Dalmore from Gordon & Macphail. There aren’t too many of those in the market, and I instantly grabbed the chance to try this Dalmore 2001 – it’s au natural without additions or damaging filtering!

Dalmore 2001 Connoisseurs Choice (46%, Bottled 2015, £32.08/€54,90)

Nose: It’s a very fruity nose with a lot of pears and pineapple notes. Also some creamy malt, liqorice, bitter grapefruit and gentle oak wood spices. After it sat down in the glass for a few minutes there were red apples, lemon, herbal eucalyptus and light spearmint perfume.

Palate: It surprised me a bit with roast smoke on the front, grapefruit and lime, nuts (goes well with the roasted note), blood oranges, pepper and spices.

Finish: Short medium finish with gentle bitterness, roasted nuts smoke, grapefruit and melon.

Thoughts: It’s a different kind of Dalmore. It’s so unlike the official Dalmore expressions with its negligent sherry spices, different fruitiness, no caramel (!!) and no chill filtering. It’s a delicate and tasty Dalmore whisky. And while its by no means a groundbreaking nor special expression, it is just a good whisky showcasing character that is usually missed from the OB lineup.

(Official sample by Gordon & MacPhail)