Dalwhinnie 15 Year Old bottled 1980s

I had read a few reviews on Dalwhinnie 15 and they seemed to be quite positive. So I picked it up on sale at my local liquor store on a whim. It wasn't something that I was overly excited about trying, but I did have some reasonably good expectations based on some passing online comments.

Before I start my review, I should say that this bottle has grown on me. Initially I found the flavours too sour for such a light whisky. When I first opened it, i found that the whisky (from nose to finish) had an element of vinegar or brine that put me off. Now, having drank more of it, and having opened the bottle over a month ago, I am starting to like this dram more. I don't know if my bottle in particular came from a "special" batch, but time seems to have smoothed out that wrinkle anyway, so moving on...

Nose is light. Vanilla, honey, heather, and some bitter lemon in there.

Palate is more revealing. More fruitiness shines through and I get a hit of green apple, banana, and butterscotch.

It finishes with honey and banana. Some faint spice lingers and there's a mild creaminess to it.

All in all, this isn't a bad dram for the price. As it is similarly priced to some other light drams of less character, I can't say it's not worth the money. But, there's more interesting whiskies out there for sure. I've come to prefer this one to some of my other lighter drams like The Glenlivet 12 (bought it for the gf). But there are better and more interesting "light" whiskies out there which are also reasonably priced, like Balvenie. Try it. Or don't. Not boring, but not a full-on standout within its range.

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