The first ‘real’ Bokito of this year’s tasting was this beautiful Dalwhinnie 25. One of Diageo’s special releases from last year and one of more interesting ones if you ask me. Dalwhinnie doesn’t see many releases apart from the regular 15 year old and their Distillers’ Edition. Both of those are nice so it is nice to be able to taste another one at a very different age.
It’s located in the southern part of the Scottish Highlands which, more or less automatically, makes it a tourist highlight. I might even visit it on my upcoming trip to Scotland, but since my whisky-time is rather limited I think I want to go for more off-the-beaten-path distilleries.
Dalwhinnie 25
Sniff:
At first I get toast, slightly burnt. This was highly suggestive since the host of the evening blurted that out right away. I also get yellow apples and barley, with a hint of grass and straw. Some very gentle (but very present) vanilla but also some spiciness and tea. The longer you leave this out to breathe, the stronger and creamier the vanilla notes get.
Sip:
White pepper at first, so quite a bit of spiciness. White oak too and white grapes. I’m getting the ‘white’ theme here. Some citrus fruits with most of it being lemon. Dry and a hint of bitter oak. Again, that tea note.
Swallow:
The finish has a lot of pepper again and is rather long and woody. Some spices again, but mostly juicy fruit. The apples and grapes again, maybe even some pineapple. Slightly drying too.
It might not be completely evident from the review, but this is a very vanilla heavy dram. At first I didn’t notice it all that much, but after a few minutes, and even after an hour it keeps giving thick creme brulee goodness. Even after the rest of the tasting (five upcoming posts) it held it’s own, solely based on that vanilla.
Anyway, this is a damn good whisky and I would love to set it in my cupboard. The bummer with most of these Diageo premium releases is that they are premium priced and a bit too rich for me. Anyway, delicious stuff, but a bit expensive.
Dalwhinnie 25, 52.1%, 5358 bottles available, OB, € 258 at De Whiskykoning.
Malt Fascination 
Sjoerd, I think you may wish to reconsider not visiting this distillery. It is a very, very nice one. The tour may be a bit ‘commercial’ (aren’t they all?), but the setting and the distillery itself is absolutely stunning. Whenever I go back to Scotland and drive down this highway between Glasgow and Elgin, I will make another stop.