Dalwhinnie 15 Year Old

Full gold in colour. Light to medium intensity; little complexity (straight) First impression is of orange juice, with some grainy mustard; mead-like, or like concentrated white wine – Vin Santo. (dilute) Becomes more aromatic and mellow. Scents of daffodils and Weetabix (brand) or even chicken-corn. Some buttery/oily notes, edging towards beeswax. Smooth and somewhat waxy; tangy and mouth-drying; easy to drink. The overall flavour is dry with a bitter finish and aftertaste. Some heather flowers.

Dalwhinnie is Scotland`s highest distillery, at 326 metres above sea level. It was founded in 1897, conveniently located for the railway, plentiful supplies of local peat, and pure highland water from Loch an Doire-uaine. A good reason, certainly, was that it was close to the geographic centre of the Highlands. This helped the distillery to survive its often fragile beginnings, just as surely as Dalwhinnie’s setting had earlier helped the village itself to gain an importance beyond its size. The Gaelic word from which the name Dalwhinnie comes is Dail-coinneeamh, also spelt Dail-Chuinnidh, which translates as “plain of meetings”. Here, on these high windswept pastures between the Grampian and Monadhliath mountain ranges, 18th Century cattle drovers would pause on their journey south, over the Drumochter pass to the great trysts or cattle markets of Crieff and Falkirk. Where it can, Dalwhinnie retains the old ways. Traditional wood is still used for its washback's, for example. Just two copper stills, as there have always been, send the alcohol into the lye pipes on its way to the still man. As well as being a fine distillery, Dalwhinnie also has the distinction of being an official weather station.