The Distillery
Dalwhinnie was founded in 1898 by John Grant, George Sellar and Alexander Mackenzie. The three men enlisted renowned architect, Charles Doig, to design the plant and invested a healthy £10,000 of their own money. Together, they succeeded in establishing the distillery but it wouldn’t last. Their business was in liquidation within the year.
The decades that followed saw the distillery bounce from one owner to the next before eventually finding a permanent home with the Distiller’s Company Ltd (later Diageo) where it was chosen to represent the “central highlands” in the Classic Malts range.
Dalwhinnie stands 1164 feet above sea level, giving it a claim to being the highest distillery in Scotland. Its elevation often leaves the distillery at the mercy of very temperamental weather conditions but some compensation comes in the form of the spectacular scenery. Something I was able to see for myself during a recent visit.
The Tour
I arrived at Dalwhinnie to take part in a tour in June this year. I had long admired the distillery in passing and a closer look confirmed my first impression that it is a particularly fine-looking place. There’s something about the way those whitewashed buildings, with their twin-pagoda crowns, huddle together in the dramatic, rugged landscape that really captures the imagination.
*Alas, photos were not allowed inside the distillery so all shots are external or inside the visitor centre.
Our guide, Davy, offered a warm welcome and gave us an informative and entertaining tour. Afterwards, he led us back to the visitor centre where we were greeted by an enticing lineup of six drams, each paired with a beautifully crafted chocolate from Iain Burnett. We enjoyed samples of Dalwhinnie’s 15-year-old, Distiller’s Edition, Winter’s Gold, Distillery Only, and 21-year-old malts, as well as a wonderful single cask that had apparently never been bottled for sale. I was quite impressed with the whole selection but decided to take home a bottle of the standard 15-year-old, to get to know it a wee bit better.
The Whisky
Smell: Heather honey & vanilla cream with apples and pears, almonds and a tiny, distant hint of smoke.
Taste: Toffee and malt, caramel and chocolate and a touch of oaky spice. Biscuit. Honey. Wee bit of citrus. Good weight on the palate.
Thoughts: There’s nothing particularly fancy about Dalwhinnie’s single malt. It’s just a solid, dependable dram. Wormtub condensers add body to it and that makes the experience all the more satisfying. 15 years worth of maturation has also given it plenty of time to interact with the oak. A good everyday malt. I’ve also found Dalwhinnie to be one of the best drams to put in a hot toddy, should you ever find yourself in need of one!
Price: The bottle cost me £40 which isn’t a lot to pay given the age.
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