Dalwhinnie is one of those Diageo distilleries that you do not see much of, certainly not a lot of new releases. There’s the 15 year old which is a staple dram and enjoys a big following, and of course the Distiller’s edition , and a relatively new NAS that goes by the name of “winter’s gold”. However, Diageo seems not to invest a lot of effort in the brand, and that is a shame. Anyways, The last expression from 2015 Special Release I have yet to review is the Dalwhinnie 25 year old, and it’s time to change that. Distilled in 1989, and bottled at 48.8, a total of 5916 bottles were available. It has not been selling as fast as others, so if you’re a fan of the distillery with deep pockets, you can still get one without much effort.
Dalwhinnie 25, SR 2015, 48.8% abv , £325
Nose: very light and even grassy with green sort of quality to it, crisp fresh green apples , pear and some citrus feels young and fresh certainly not 25 year old. A bit of mint and a hint of exotic fruit as it opens in the glass. Not the most remarkable of noses…
Palate: bigger and fuller with more fruit and spice on the palate , there’s baked apple cinnamon and a touch of exotic fruit mainly watermelon and tinned pineapple, and a malty cereal edge, and some creamy barley sugars.
Finish : wet malty cereal with the stewed fruit and milk chocolate.
This is a good dram, but If I have to say so, the least interesting of the 2015 SR. It is really fresh and fruity, but does not feel 25 years old, as there is hardly any wood in the nose / palate, and for me, at least it is a bit of a disappointment. It’s not bad whisky, by no means, but you can find much cheaper whiskies that offer the same qualities at a fraction of the price. £325 is a lot of money for this kind of whisky, at least in my book. I would look elsewhere, as there are far better 2015 SR expressions this year, at the same price point.