tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post2500284057953899997..comments2024-03-16T11:28:41.525-04:00Comments on Diving for Pearls: Single Malt Report: Dalmore 12 year old (old label, 2005 bottling)Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288790197865570681noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-43858420739287190602014-11-29T20:49:25.333-05:002014-11-29T20:49:25.333-05:00Oh, I didn't tell you about my Florin Tracker ...Oh, I didn't tell you about my Florin Tracker spreadsheet? I completely agree about Decades. Haven't tried Glen Grant's Five Decades (can't these companies come up with original names?), but I wonder if that one works as well as Tomatin's. Too bad it's $150+.Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-77700038244718532752014-11-27T11:00:23.483-05:002014-11-27T11:00:23.483-05:00Complete brain fart - I meant Tomatin Decades, nat...Complete brain fart - I meant Tomatin Decades, naturally. I haven't tried the Legacy but I'd wager there's no way in hell it's anything like the Decades. And good for you, keeping track of what I drink!Florinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14445344658258056628noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-1436725240712201872014-11-25T01:21:13.007-05:002014-11-25T01:21:13.007-05:00Ah, yes, the green wood bitterness! I forgot what ...Ah, yes, the green wood bitterness! I forgot what the heck the third version of bitterness was when I was writing my previous comment. Didn't realize you'd tried Tomatin Legacy. Think it's worth getting? My neighborhood wine store (which has more than a case of it in stock) shows up in winesearcher as the only California liquor shop that has the Legacy. Though I think Total Wine has it too.Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-50357073768977330322014-11-22T00:25:41.402-05:002014-11-22T00:25:41.402-05:00I found different things every time I drank that w...I found different things every time I drank that whisky - most of them interesting. I fully agree with you with the wormwood-like bitterness from good, well-aged whisky, in contrast with chemical, inorganic bitterness associated with caramel and assorted things going wrong in the cask & in the bottle - probably including oxidation (your Bearded Lady being an extreme example). Sometimes young whisky - especially American craft - will have a 'green' bitterness, like you're chewing on a broken, healthy tree branch; that would be a third category of bitter, less pernicious than the second, but not quite pleasant either. I'm embarrassed to say, it's only this year that I learned to recognize and appreciate the 'good' bitterness in whisky! At first I thought it was the signature of some closed distilleries (Littlemill, if you need to know), but then I found it again and again in other old whiskies - usually 20+ yo. Tomatin Legacy is a good example of a NAS whisky where the older components play a key role.Florinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14445344658258056628noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-53555877567358299632014-11-21T18:59:12.826-05:002014-11-21T18:59:12.826-05:00Though Masterquill found a number of different not...Though Masterquill found a number of different notes than I, he did find the whole package a little scattered too. And similarly, he finds its "difference" can be a positive thing. Thanks for that link.<br /><br />There seems to be a few different kinds of bitterness(es) in whisky. There's an herbal wormwood-ish type of bitterness that I love -- I'm thinking that's from well-matured good distillate. There's a chemical bitterness that seems to come from crummy oak and/or caramel colorant. That sort doesn't work well with my palate.Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-26715015373785008052014-11-21T12:47:07.029-05:002014-11-21T12:47:07.029-05:00With further tasting I was struck by the 'nice...With further tasting I was struck by the 'nice bitterness' as you call it, which I identified as old whisky. Basically, it has lots of whisky that's much older than 12 years! It is an odd one for sure, but I liked it enough, for that reason, that I went and bought another bottle (it went up to $40 in the meanwhile).<br /><br />Here's another review of a similar bottle that gave it the same score as you did:<br />http://masterquill.wordpress.com/2014/09/29/the-dalmore-12yo-40-ob-circa-2004/<br />Florinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14445344658258056628noreply@blogger.com