Dalmore 25 Year Old

This is the danger we face today as whisky enthusiasts. When drama and flair overtake the fundamentals of quality. That by building a story and dressing it up in tassels becomes the only way to pander a product.

And Mr Richard Paterson is a master of this craft, I must admit. So much so that I think he believes him self too.

Unveiled at a tasting recently amid much fanfare and oohs and aahs this gloriously packaged 600GBP bottle is a sight for sore eyes. But sight is the only sense it stimulates.

The expected nose of chocolate gravy and rum cake, black peppercorns, orange peel and grated ginger greet you in one massive THUD! No complexity. No layers. Just a square blow to your face.

The equally one dimensional and medium bodied palate is chocolate sweet and peppercorn spicy but does introduce a fig in a cigar box quality to it.

The medium finish is spicy and retains that cigar box touch.

Look, I don't mind this whisky but if you're going to set it up so high you better deliver. But the ultimate victory belongs to the marketeers who know there's enough people out there who will gladly shell out this kind of money just to parade this in front of formal company.

And that's the danger.