Dalwhinnie 15yr Single Highland Malt

A Mellow Highland Malt with a Touch of Sweetness  

Dalwhinnie Info:
Distillery: Dalwhinnie Distillery (Owned by Diageo)
ABV: 43% (86 Proof)
Price Point:  $$$ (About $70)
Preferred Way to Drink: Neat or 1 cube

I really enjoy observing people at the liquor store looking at the vast wall of scotch bottles with the blank stares not knowing where to start.  A lot of times they are trying to find a nice single malt to buy their father or boyfriend who just started to explore scotch.  When I politely step in to ask if they have any questions to what they are looking at they are happy to get input from others to what they should buy.  After asking if they have any idea of what type of scotch they enjoy they tend to look at me again with a blank stare saying “There are different types of scotch?”.

When this occurs I tend to go on the safe side of the taste pallet and stick to the smooth and rich collection of scotch, which tends to move towards the Highland and Speyside malts.  Many times this ends up recommending Dalwhinnie as an option.

With a medium body, mellow and smooth finish and an essence of sweetness (I’ve always referred to it as “having a buttery finish”), this is a very easy scotch to get used to.  Known as “The Gentle Spirit”, this is very pleasing to those who are just starting to enjoy scotch without much taste variables in the way (i.e. those with secondary caskings of sherry or port).  Definitely one to recommend for those looking for an easy crowd pleaser.

Background

Located on a high plateau between the Cairngorm and Monadhliath mountain ranges, this distillery is the joint-highest distillery in Scotland (an honor shared with Braeval).  Situated in the coldest settlement in the UK, this distillery is placed in a location that allows the signature taste of Dalwhinie to develop like no other.

 

My Tale about Dalwhinnie

My first memory of Dalwhinnie was back in 1994 when my parents and I went on a ski trip to La Plagne France.  We purchased a bottle of Dalwhinnie at the London Heathrow Airport Duty Free shop on our flight to France after a taste test at our local liquor store in London.  We were impressed by the smooth taste and easy to drink body of this scotch.  If my memory serves me well the bottle was empty by the time we left La Plagne 4 days later.

The pictures above are from screenshots I took from the video I shot during the trip.  I really savor these moments I had with my parent back when we were living in Europe since they are the last few I will have before losing my mother 2 years later to cancer.

Cheers Mom!