“120 Years Of The Dalmore” Is A Whisky Flight Possibly Worth $1850?

There’s a lot of things you can do with $1,850. You can pay a month’s rent on a New York City apartment (most likely a small studio in Manhattan, or somewhat roomier digs in the outer boroughs). You could buy Apple’s newest desktop iMac computer with all the bells and whistles. You could fly round trip from New York to Los Angeles, business class. Or you could drink four ounces of whisky. Sure, that seems like an awfully high cost-per-sip ratio. In fact, it’s the most expensive whisky flight yet offered in New York. But if you love rare and delicious whisky — and the bragging rights that come with having tasted it — you actually get your money’s worth.

120 Years? Do The Math

The whisky in question is the Dalmore, one of Scotland’s most acclaimed and beloved single malts. The flight is 120 Years Of The Dalmore. The venue at which you’ll find it exclusively is Manhattan’s Fine & Rare, one of the nation’s finest whisk(e)y bars. The “120 Years” bit may be confusing at first. The brand is more than 120 years old (in fact, in its current incarnation it dates back more than a century and a half). The individual whiskies are all far younger than 120. But add up the 25 Year Old, the 35 Year Old, the 40 Year old, and the 20 year old Constellation Collection 1991 bottling, and bingo! 120 years. You may have heard of the “100 Years Of The Dalmore” flight that premiered a few years ago at New York’s Baccarat Hotel, and has since been featured at a handful of other upscale joints. But it’s the addition of the Constellation Collection ’91, the rarest of the quartet, that makes this (even) more expensive and (even) more memorable.

The Dalmore is one of the most collectible Scotch distilleries, right up there with the Macallan, and like the Macallan its rarest bottles sell for astronomical sums. The Dalmore is known for its cask maturation process, spearheaded over the last several decades by the brand’s longtime master distiller and blender, the legendary Richard Paterson. Thanks to their longstanding relationships with the Gonzalez-Byass sherry bodega and W & J Graham’s port house, the Dalmore is able to get casks that are simply unavailable to other distilleries. That’s what makes the Dalmore unique — and so desirable.

Fasten Your Seatbelts And Prepare For Takeoff

Even before the first sip, the experience is pretty lavish. Four Baccarat flute glasses, each engraved with Dalmore’s signature stag’s-head logo, are brought out on an engraved Christofle silver tray. The four Dalmore bottles are brought out as well, to be measured and poured tableside.  The 35 and 40-Year-Old are bottled in hand-blown Baccarat crystal decanters and adorned with decorative silver stoppers hand-hammered by Hamilton & Inches. The room does the whisky justice — Fine & Rare, with its distinctive architectural touches and plush leather banquettes (some of which require a short climb to get seated), is one of the most comfortable and luxurious bars in the city.

But it’s time to answer the question — what exactly do those four glasses hold?  Let’s take a closer look, shall we?

Tasting Notes

First up is the 25 Year Old, which records show has been produced at the distillery since at least 1893. Like all Dalmores, it’s first aged in ex-bourbon barrels, after which it’s divided between Tawny port pipes and 30 Year Old Matusalem ex-sherry casks. After an undisclosed amount of time, the whiskies are married once more in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels before being bottled at 42% ABV. Chocolate dominates the nose and palate; the sherry’s influence comes through first, with raisin and almond notes taking the lead, but the sweet, rounder berry and fig notes of the port pipes make their presence felt as well. The finish is a long, lingering caress of fruit and gentle oaky spice.

The 35 Year Old (40% ABV) travels a long and winding road between ex-bourbon barrels, 30 Year Old Matusalem Oloroso sherry casks, and Colheita (single-vintage) port pipes. It’s richer than the 25, redolent of darker chocolate, baking spices, and candied orange peel. The tang of the sherry still resonates, but the deep berry and tropical fruit notes are the star of the show. Oak, along with hints of dried fruit, leather and tobacco, make for a gorgeous finish.

The 40 Year Old (42% ABV) has a complex maturation in ex-bourbon, Matusalem Oloroso sherry and, mainly, Colheita port pipes. The nose is slightly musty, like an old leather-bound book, but the palate has gorgeous rounded fruit notes courtesy of the port pipes, with a finish dominated by dried figs, dark chocolate, and a whisper of oak.

The Constellation 1991 (Cask 27) is a horse of a different color. Unless you’ve sampled something from the 21-bottle Constellation Collection, which was released in 2011 in minute quantities, you’ve never dried a Dalmore like this. Aged for 20 years and bottled at a cask strength of 56.6% ABV, this is the youngest and highest-proof of the quartet. Where the other three are refined and elegant, this is bigger and (slightly) more unbridled, while retaining the classic Dalmore flavor profile. A vibrant nose of citrus with hints of balsamic leads into spicy and sweet dark berries on the palate. This is the only Dalmore of the four for which water could reasonably be added — it tamps down the alcoholic heat a bit and brings in some bright orange notes. The finish is a bigger version of the Dalmore’s classic chocolate orange flavor, with a bit of pepper and ginger for good measure. You can drink them in any order you want — hey, it’s your $1,850 — but drinking the Constellation Collection last is strongly recommended.

It’s Fine, It’s Rare, And It’s At Fine & Rare

Only a few hundred bottles of the 25, 35, and 40 Year Old are released in the U.S. each year, while the 1991 Constellation Collection hasn’t been produced for a decade, and commands several thousand dollars on the secondary market. That’s why 120 Years of the Dalmore is a Fine & Rare exclusive — owner Tommy Tardie happened to have the 1991 on hand. “I’m a big fan of the Dalmore, of course,” Tardie says, “and this is the kind of partnership we want to pursue — we want to deliver an experience. The whisky is amazing, I think we can all vouch for that. But it’s much more than just whisky, it’s just everything, down to the most minute detail of the presentation.”

After the last sip is finished, the memories will come home with you, along with a gift bag containing a tasting glass and a silver Dalmore stag pin. And if you love the Dalmore but haven’t got the disposable income for 120 years’ worth of it, Fine & Rare has you covered. “45 Years Of The Dalmore” (the 12, 15, and 18-Year-Old expressions) has a pretty nice ring to it as well, and it comes with a trio of Vosges chocolate truffles created to pair with the whiskies, all for a much less hefty $125.