The Dalmore Distillery was established in 1839 by a man named Alexander Matheson and is located in Alness, Scotland. The distillery is located in northern Scotland, thus the moniker “Single Highland Malt”.

The packaging is quite simple with a 750ml bottle adorned by the signature 12 point buck on the bottle and traditional style label.

The Dalmore Single Highland Malt has a marvelous, rich amber hue that you can only hope tastes as good as it looks. The aroma is quite strong and actually belies its taste. Stick your nose in a bell shaped glass and your eyes might actually water up before the scotch hits your lips. Surprisingly, the taste is not nearly as strong and I found it quite pleasant with subtle undertones of vanilla and caramel. It is a fairly strong whisky and the taste improves significantly with water. I recommend trying it straight up for full effect the first time around and then add a generous portion of water for the second go of it. You’ll find that the flavor becomes easier to discern. The finish is long and warming and you can almost feel the heat spreading throughout your body.

The Dalmore 12 Year Old Single Highland Malt is a bit of a paradox. While the aroma and feel are quite intense the flavor and finish are quite smooth and subtle. This is your quintessential Scotch whisky and should appeal to just about anyone who likes a good single malt. To sweeten the deal even further, a bottle of Dalmore 12 year old scotch will run you about $35.00. This makes it the perfect single malt for those of us who like to drink, but don’t like to pay for it.

This past Christmas, my wonderful wife bought me a bottle of Balvenie DoubleWood. DoubleWood is a 12 year old single malt Scotch whisky that is matured in two distinct casks throughout the life of its maturation process. It starts its journey from malt to whisky in a traditional American oak bourbon whisky cask and is then transferred to a Spanish oak cask that has been previously used to age sherry. The traditional whisky cask makes sure the DoubleWood grows up to be a fine, upstanding Scotch, while the sherry cask acts as a finishing school designed to add depth and character.

The Balvenie Distillery of Banffshire, Scotland has been owned and operated by the same family since its founding in 1892. They pride themselves on being the last distillery in the Scottish Highlands to grow their own barley, use traditional floor maltings, and maintains their own coopers and coppersmiths. The company steeps itself in its heritage and that is never more apparent than when you visit their unique and informative web site at www.thebalvenie.com.

Balvenie gets some serious extra credit for including a fantastic pamphlet from the malt master. It briefly touches on the history of the distillery, the Scotches they produce, as well as a great primer on nosing and tasting. If there is a reason why this review will be of higher quality than any of my future reviews, this pamphlet is the key. I resisted the urge to read too much of the pamphlet before I started tasting, but it was extremely valuable in filling in the blanks.

At first glance, DoubleWood has a very pleasant amber hue that is rich and deep, but not too dark. There is no denying the uniqueness of Balvenie DoubleWood the minute you take a nice long whiff. The aroma is noticeably sweet and fruity and there is a slight hint of vanilla and honey. This Scotch is smooth and sweet with a lot of different flavors going on all at once. Right off the bat, your hit with a taste that is both nutty and spicy, without it being too sharp or punchy. The finish is warm and long enough to let you down nice and easy.

Balvenie DoubleWood is probably the most accessible Scotch I’ve ever had, and that doesn’t mean its weak. Balvenie DoubleWood is a nice change of pace from your traditional single malt.