{"product_id":"dalmore-16-year-old-1995-castle-leod-home-of-clan-mackenzie-limited-edition-highland-single-malt-scotch-whisky-signed-by-richard-patterson-2011-70cl","title":"Dalmore 16 Year Old 1995 Castle Leod Home of Clan MacKenzie Limited Edition Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky Signed by Richard Patterson (2011) 70cl","description":"\u003ch2\u003eDalmore 16 Year Old 1995 Castle Leod Home of Clan MacKenzie Limited Edition Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky Signed by Richard Patterson (2011) 70cl\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1 of 5000 bottles produced from \u003cspan\u003eAmerican White Oak \u0026amp; Spanish Sherry Wood finished in Bordeaux Wine casks.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis bottle was released to raise money for the upkeep of Castle Leod, the Mackenzie clan's ancestral seat.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe move follows the successful launch last year of the brand’s Mackenzie expression, which saw 3,000 bottles sell out in less than nine months across the world, raising more than £20,000 towards castle restoration and other clan projects.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis time there will be 5,000 bottles of Dalmore Castle Leod produced with an RSP of £100, and according to Richard Paterson, the creator of this new release, this one will sell even faster than the Mackenzie whisky.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Dalmore has a long association with the Mackenzie clan. Not only did the family once own the Highland distillery, their clan symbol - the royal stag - sits on each and every bottle of the Dalmore in a tribute to its regal heritage and aristocratic pedigree. In 1263, a member of the clan saved King Alexander III of Scotland from a charging stag and was subsequently granted the honour of using the 12-point royal stag as their crest. That in turn has been adopted by The Dalmore, along with the clan’s motto I Shine, Not Burn.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCastle Leod is nestled in the Scottish highlands just 14 miles from the Dalmore distillery. Built in 1606, it is still one of the few castles in Scotland that was built and occupied by direct descendents of the original family owners.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodytextbold\"\u003eRichard Paterson, Master Blender, Whyte \u0026amp; Mackay\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Castle Leod is an exceptional single malt. It’s the first time we have released a whisky matured in barriques from one of the most revered and iconic Bordeaux houses in France.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Having spent its initial maturation in American white oak and Spanish sherry wood, this whisky still retains The Dalmore’s ‘house style’ of orange marmalade, vanilla and spice. But its final 18 months in Bordeaux adds an extra level of pure luxury, as well as a sensual finish of kiwi, sweet pear and sweet mango.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTASTING NOTES\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodytextbold\"\u003eNose:\u003c\/span\u003e Exhilarating romantic notes of Rose de Mai, heady tuberose, ylang-ylang and rich narcissus are coupled with arousing notes of juicy plums, blackcurrants, bergamot and mandarin.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodytextbold\"\u003ePalate:\u003c\/span\u003e The \"King of Grapes\". the Cabernet Sauvignon from a legendary 1st cru classe Bordeaux chateau adds that extra level of pure luxury to our noble Dalmore. But again fleshy plums, raisins and citrus fruits are reinforced during this initial flirtation on the palate. Within seconds the next sensual fusion makes its presence felt when silky tones of kiwi fruit, honey, caramelised pear and sweet mango roll over from the warmth of your tongue. A final feast of crushed almonds, spicy ginger, chewy toffee and soft liquorice brings this passionate love affair to a perfect conclusion.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAbout Dalmore\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDalmore’s character, densely fruity with a cereal background, is the product of one of the strangest distillation regimes in Scotland.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe wash stills at Dalmore have flat tops, and are also in two sizes. Three are 13,000-litres in capacity, the fourth is double that. The spirit stills all sport water coolers around their necks to assist in reflux. Again, one of the quartet is double the size. Because of this discrepancy in size and the fact that the spirit stills are charged when the low wines and feints receiver is full, the strength of the charge to those stills varies, creating different end flavours. Though it seems random to an outsider, thankfully it is controlled by high experienced stillmen. All these distillates are vatted before being casked.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCondensing is also unusual. The spirit stills have external shell and tube condensers which lie horizontally. This mirrors the old worm pipe which lay in the burn which runs outside the stillhouse.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEx-Sherry casks are the most commonly-used maturation vessel and unlike many distilleries, ex-solera casks soaked in oloroso and PX Sherry for decades are preferred over the oak-driven bespoke casks now common across the industry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe northern distilleries seem to have a disproportionately high number of wealthy backers. Dalmore is typical of this. It was founded, in 1839, by Alexander Matheson who had made his fortune as a partner in Jardine Matheson the trading firm which took over from the East India Company and which, by that time, was controlling exports of opium trade into China.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe lease (and eventually ownership) was taken by the Mackenzie family in 1878 and it remained family-owned until 1960 when one of Dalmore’s main customers, Whyte \u0026amp; Mackay, took control. A significant contributor to W\u0026amp;M’s blends, for many years Dalmore’s presence in the world of single malt was restricted to a 12-year-old expression. In recent times however the range has expanded dramatically, with a core range of 12, 15, 18 and 25-years-old, plus no-age-statement specialities like King Alexander III, Cigar Malt, and an ever-growing selection of luxury expressions such as the 21-strong Constellation range (comprising vintages from 1964 to 1992) and 1951 ‘Sirius’. Prices at the top end regularly top five figures.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eW\u0026amp;M itself has gone through a dizzying number of hands in recent times. Its current custodian is Emperador of the Philippines.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e46% ABV\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e70cl\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dalmore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53088887800146,"sku":"DALCIGARMALT2012","price":575.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1052\/9737\/9666\/files\/Dalmore16YearOld1995CastleLeodHomeofClanMacKenzieLimitedEditionHighlandSingleMaltScotchWhiskySignedbyRichardPatterson_2011_70cl.jpg?v=1775076557","url":"https:\/\/whiskysituation.co.uk\/products\/dalmore-16-year-old-1995-castle-leod-home-of-clan-mackenzie-limited-edition-highland-single-malt-scotch-whisky-signed-by-richard-patterson-2011-70cl","provider":"Whisky Situation","version":"1.0","type":"link"}