Dalmore King Alexander III

Review by: TOModera

Travel Tip #1: If your friends move to another country, consider exploring that country. A lot.

When our friends moved out to the UK, if was a given that we’d be visiting them. First, because we like to be around them. And second, well, because we always wanted to go to the UK and they could have us over.

As a thank you, we picked them up some stuff.

Travel Tip #2: If you are from North American and going to the UK, Zipper bags are shitty over here. Bring a bunch. Especially if you’re a drug dealer.

Other than the Ziploc bags, I bought my buddy the Master of Malt Highland set as a thank you. And in my pathetic state after getting home, he offered to split the Dalmore King Alexander III with me, which was very nice of him.

I don’t usually go near Dalmore. They are a Highland, they go well with cigars (I don’t smoke), they use American Oak and Sherry and have a few different ones that confuse me. I’ve had the Old Malt Cask one and didn’t enjoy it at all. Not to mention that the website mentions its part of Clan MacKenzie own it, yet it was started by an old drug dealer is somewhat missed.

Oh well. According to the website, this is made of “Whiskies matured in ex-bourbon casks, Matusalem oloroso sherry wood, Madeira barrels, Marsala casks, port pipes and Cabernet Sauvignon wine barriques are brought together in perfect harmony”. That seems quite unique.

Distillery: Dalmore Distillery.

Bottler: Distillery Bottling.

Region: Highland.

ABV: 40%.

Age: Unknown.

Cask type: Small batch Bourbon casks, Matusalem Oloroso Sherry casks, Madeira casks, Marsala casks, Port pipes and Cabernet Sauvignon wine barriques

Price: N/A in Ontario.

Color: Burnt Sienna

Nose: Cough syrup, cherry pie, blackberry, little sherry, lime zest, floral

Initial blast of cherry and cough syrup takes its time, though the low Abv. is making this not too pungent. Or at the forefront. Gave it some time to open up, yet it didn’t give me much more.

Taste: Brown sugar, cigar, orange, smoke, caramel, coffee, honey, gooseberry

Lots of caramel and coffee on the taste. It really does make up for the nose being out there. Different flavours swirl about, and this is quite nice.

Finish: Blueberries, nectarine, brown butter, floral, leeks

Simple yet nice finish, with the earthiness blending with the sweetness throughout.

Conclusion: According to the box tasting notes (which I read afterward) there was suppose to be chocolate throughout, yet I didn’t really pick it up. I think the issue here is that it’s so low of Abv.. Given the mixture of different finishes on each whisky, they really should have left this at a higher strength. In the end I think they missed out on 5 different nice whiskies instead of one overpriced yet not terrible whisky.

Final Score: 83.

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

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