Scotch Whisky Review #485: Dalwhinnie Distillery Exclusive Batch #1

Distillery: Dalwhinnie.

Region: Highland.

Age: NAS. Bottled in 2021.

ABV: 48.0%. The pamphlet from the distillery says “Cask Strength” but I’m unsure if that is actually correct.

Cask Type: First fill bourbon and then finished in rejuvenated red wine casks.

Color: 1.2, Chestnut / Oloroso Sherry.

This is the 13th installment of this years’ Christmas Countdown. You can check out previous editions as well (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022).

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Nose: There are two groups of flavors here. Vanilla is the first one. The second is a few different types of red fruit juice. Grape juice and some Ribena blackcurrant juice are what come to mind for me.

Palate: The red fruit notes show up again. Red grapes and currants are the major notes.

Finish: I oddly don’t have any notes written down for the finish. I have to assume it was pretty short and not really leaving much in the way of flavor.

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Conclusion: When you’re in the Scottish highlands and you have a little bit of time to kill, what better thing to do is there than go swing by a distillery? That was my thought pattern anyway as we popped into Dalwhinnie on our way to the Glenfinnan Viaduct to see a certain train. I didn’t have a whole lot of time here but the shop staff did give me a small pour of this distillery exclusive and a little bit of their handfill that had run out the day before. Their distillery exclusive was a lot more impressive for me than the handfill at the time but I have to say trying this one at home, it didn’t particularly impress. The notes are pretty basic and heavily influenced by the red wine cask. Not bad but perhaps worth the expense.

Left: Dalwhinnie distillery, Right: Glenfinnan Viaduct

Rating: 76.

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Scotch Whisky Review #485, Highland Review #99, Whisky Network Review #649

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.