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Dalwhinnie 29 yo Cask Strength

AVB

Jesus of Cool, I'm bad, I'm nationwide
Joined
Nov 14, 2003
Messages
22,942
Dalwhnnie 29 yo Cask Strength Single Highland Malt Scotch, Limited Edition (#508/5220), 115.6 proof, short dumpy bottle, 750ml, about $300-325, still available in the US and UK if you look hard enough.

Dalwhinnie%2029%20Cask.JPG


This bottle and it's match was bought from a special buy put on by Denverdog last year sometime. I should have bought more. Dalwhinnie claims to be "The Gentle Dram" and while that might be true of the standard 15 yo bottling, it is not the case with this one.

The Dalwhinnie Distillery is the highest in Scotland at 1073 ft above sea level. Built in 1898, it closed almost immediately during the downturn of the whisky business later that year. The new owners changed the name from Strathspey to Dalwhinnie and reopened in 1905. Things went well until a fire in 1934 that closed the plant for four years only to reopen and close again for the war. After opening again production has continued until the present day except for a 1992 refurbishment, ramping up to about 1.3 million liters in 2006. Mostly used for Buchanan's blends, Black & White in particular.

This was the table bottle at the last Scotch Herf and I have to say it went over very well with those in attendance. While at almost 116 proof it has some kick it wasn't that bad to require water or ice as we drank half of it.

The nose is fairly active as the alcohol evaporation carries the scents up and out of the glass. The nose is lightly peaty with a fresh new hay smell for the most part. Tasting is a roller coaster ride with fruit, sour apple in particular showing, getting buried by alcohol, and then returning as a slightly banana laced vanilla flavor with a bit of oak. The finish is mostly on the sides of the tongue with an interesting mixture of mintiness and honey.

I like this and wish it was more accessible and cheaper but for a smallish distillery to put out an aged bottle such as this one will expect to pay for it. It impressed Tone-ny enough that he is getting one of his own. If you are looking for something in this price range I would give this bottle some serious consideration. :thumbs:
 
Great review Ray!
I appreciate you busting out a fantastic bottle for the table at your herf!
I did not pick up on any banana flavor but I agree with all the other flavors you picked out.
An excellent dram that is suprisingly drinkable even though the alcohol is rather high.
Next time I try this I will hit it with some water to try to see if any other nuances come out.

-Rob
 
Thanks for the review AVB; it sounds like a great drink.
 
Ray thanks for letting us taste this beauty. Your review is great and I too missed the second after taste. I guess too many cigars got in the way! Looking forward to future tastings of this when my bottle arrives! :D
 
Boy, I did not care for this dram at all. Loren and I could barely drink it. The alcohol is so upfront. I have a hard time thinking that it was just me, Loren and Tony(opusxkc) that didn't care for this. I've had the 15 Dalwhinnie and it was good(nothing outstanding for a highland). Not for me... good review as always Ray!
 
I dunno Brad but if you have any left you can send it to me if you want. Maybe the company wasn't that good :p
 
Fantastic review Ray. I am about half way through my first bottle and I have really enjoyed it. Not being nearly as serious a collector as you, this is one of my very special bottles that I share with friends on special occasions. So far everyone I have shared it with has loved it. It is a treat that I always look forward to. :thumbs:
 
I love the reviews on the ones like this that are not so common. I've never seen a bottle of this for sale. You must have the best resources for locating the hard to find bottles.

Thanks for doing the review.
 
Spend enough time looking and you can find almost anything eventually.

I love the reviews on the ones like this that are not so common. I've never seen a bottle of this for sale. You must have the best resources for locating the hard to find bottles.

Thanks for doing the review.
 
Great review!!! I tried some outstanding whiskies over that weekend and the Dalwhinnie was far and away my favorite. To my experience, it was easily the most unique. The sour apple was over the top. Ray, thanks for making such a treat available to us at the herf.
 
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