Whisky Review: Dalwhinnie Aged 30 Years Diageo Special Release 2019

Style: Sweet, Delicate and Dignified

Nose:
Elegant heather honey, waxy tropical fruits compote and sweet honeydew coming up at the front, showing all the signs of a well-matured whisky here, excellent. Spearmint forming a firm backbone, while white flower, floral nectar and barley attached comfortably on it. Lemon menringue and toffee undercurrent giving a fat, oily base. Finishes with a touch of tar and wood smoke. Very lovely.

Palate:
A delicate stream of stewed tropical fruits flowing in, some ultra-pure and sweet honeydew carefully placed on top of honey wax and agar agar. Then there is some lemon citrus, confectioneries and white flower forming a round and oily buffer. The oak shows up early and is quite entrenched into the spirit, you can definitely feel the age here. Oatmeal mixing with wood chips , cacao powder, ginger, nutmeg, white pepper and some cinnamon sticks, plenty of dry spices emerge at the second half. Chocolate oak and soft wood smoke finishes at the back.

Finish:
Sweet melon mochi, heather sweetness swaying in the chamber, longan with a slice of ginger. Sweet, gentle and savoury.

Thoughts:
Dalwhinnie has a special place in my heart because the standard 15 years old is one of the very first single malts when I started my journey of whisky. More than happy to see a new expression from this distillery. Now, this Dalwhinnie 30 years old is playing on a delicate balance of the gentle distillate and matured oaky notes. While at times the expression swings from one side to another, but there are buzzing dry spices and waxy sweetness to create a sufficient middle ground and gel the profile together. Creating a sweet, delicate, dignified and multifaceted dram.