Whisky: Celebrate A New Year With an Even Better One
I’m giving away my age a little with this admission but 2008 was a pretty great year for me personally. It was a formative year of getting away from home for the first time, seeing some of the world, and graduating from child to gangly adult. This also marked the year The Dalmore put away a couple casks that would one day become the distiller’s prestige Vintage Collection.
As a new years gift to us all they have released The Dalmore Vintage 2005 and The Dalmore Vintage 2008. This is the third of such releases from The Dalmore, and something we’re slowly learning to look forward to.
The process of bringing us these drops starts on inspection week in November when Master Whisky Maker Gregg Glass and Master Distiller Richard Paterson OBE reacquaint themselves with all their casks quietly maturing in their historic warehouses. Novembers the best time as the casks are resting in cooler temperatures after a long warm summer.
The casks then audition for the hallowed position of becoming a true capital ‘V’ Vintage.
Master Whisky Maker Gregg Glass comments: “The annual cask inspection which ultimately leads to the creation of each years Vintage Collection is a true highlight of working on The Dalmore. We can never know what time and nature has given to these whiskies, until we take stock each November and see what magic has unfolded in the year. Richard and I select casks which we feel contain whiskies that exemplify The Dalmore’s quality and style, with the best of the best, becoming our Limited-Edition Vintages.
“For 2023, we are pleased to present two whiskies which, at different ages, showcase nuances of The Dalmore’s signature notes – chocolate, orange, and subtle spice. Vintage 2008 reveals naturally balanced shades and interplays of sweet cacao, fresh citrus and soft spices, and is a beautiful example of refined elegance from The Dalmore, captured at a moment in time. Vintage 2005 has quintessential dark chocolate notes which intertwine with rich citrus offering a flavour experience to be remembered and savoured.”
The Dalmore 2008 Vintage and The Dalmore 2005 Vintage are limited, so if you have trouble getting your hands on a bottle, we recommend you check out all their other offerings here.