The Dalmore Is Releasing a New 17 Year Old Whisky
The Dalmore is a single malt whisky distillery located in Scotland’s Highland region that is synonymous with luxury scotch. That’s because the distillery, which is owned by Whyte & Mackay and led by master distiller Richard Paterson OBE and master whisky maker Greg Glass, is focused on producing high-end single malts that are aged in a combination of casks. The latest to join the core Principal Collection is a 17-year-old whisky that splits the different between the core 15 and 21-year-olds.
The new Dalmore 17 was initially aged in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels, like most of the distillery’s whiskies. Then it was finished in three different types of sherry casks sourced from González Byass in Spain—Amoroso (also known as cream sherry, a blend of different styles), Apostoles (30-year-old sherry that is a blend of Pedro Ximenez and Palo Cortado), and Matusalem (a sweetened style of Oloroso sherry). Since the whisky is not actually being released here in the U.S. yet (it arrives this summer), we did not get a sample to try. But the official tasting notes describe Seville orange, orchard fruit, and wood spice on the nose, followed by notes of poached pears, forest berries, sweet toffee, and orange marmalade on the palate. It’s bottled at 42 percent ABV and is priced at £175 (about $250).
This is not the first time the Dalmore has released a 17-year-old whisky, however. Last spring, the distillery released a pair of whiskies that were on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of age and price as part of its Luminary Series. One was a 52-year-old single malt in collaboration with Scottish design museum V&A Dundee that was only available at auction, and the other was the 17-year-old Luminary No.3–2025 Edition. This whisky was aged in a wide array of casks—calvados, vintage calvados (1989 and 1999), Matusalem sherry, Apostoles sherry, red wine from Bordeaux and Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and ex-bourbon. We were able to sample both at the time, and the younger expression was the superior whisky.
While obviously this new Dalmore 17 is a completely unique whisky that has been matured in different casks, that does give single malt fans high hopes for how it will taste. “We created 17 Year Old to showcase more sweet oak influence and more delicate spice, culminating in a whisky with an inherent richness and decadence,” said master whisky maker Kirstie McCallum in a statement. Hopefully the whisky will live up to those expectations—we will let you know how it fares when we are able to sample it.
