Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve Whiskey 750ml

Dalmore Distillery sits on the shores of the Cromarty Firth in the Northern Highlands, a site with centuries of whisky-making history behind it and a house style built around rich sherry cask maturation. The distillery is instantly recognizable by its emblem, a twelve-point stag known as the caberfeidh, and its whiskies are shaped by master distiller Richard Paterson, whose decades of blending experience and famously insured nose have guided Dalmore's style for a generation.

Cigar Malt Reserve begins life in American white oak ex-bourbon casks before moving into thirty-year-old Matusalem oloroso sherry butts, a rare and expensive component that gives the whisky its depth. A portion is then finished in premier cru Cabernet Sauvignon wine barriques from Bordeaux's Saint-Estèphe appellation. Paterson marries stocks that have matured for ten to fifteen years across these cask types, resulting in a bottling at 44 percent ABV, noticeably stronger than Dalmore's standard 12 Year Old. The whisky's name nods to its origins as a release designed to stand up to the richness of a fine cigar.

The nose offers orange peel, figs, and raisins alongside dry chocolate, nutty sherry, and a whisper of smoke. The palate brings tropical fruit, orange zest, and warm cinnamon, while the finish runs long, with oak tannins, dried fruit, and a trace of honeysuckle.