Whisky - UK (2020-05)

28 Whisky Magazine | Issue 167

ounded at Alness, Ross-shire, in 1839

by Alexander Matheson of East Asia

traders Jardine Matheson & Company,

Dalmore Distillery began celebrating

its 180th anniversary late last year

and has been marking the occasion in a

™ƒ›–Šƒ–„‡β‹–•‘‡‘ˆ…‘–Žƒ†ǯ•‘•–

highly regarded luxury whisky brands.

In November, the company announced

it would release three decanters of The

Dalmore 60 Years Old 180th Anniversary

Edition, which is formed of spirit matured in

–™‘•Š‡””›…ƒ••–Šƒ–™‡”‡β‹ŽŽ‡†‘͹

—‡ͳͻͷͳǤ

Š‹••’‡…‹ƒŽ„‘––Ž‹‰‹••‹‰‹β‹…ƒ–‘–‘Ž›ˆ‘”–Š‡

milestone being marked but because the spirit

‹•–Š‡…‘’ƒ›ǯ•Žƒ•–”‡ƒ‹‹‰•–‘…ˆ”‘–Š‡

Ǯƒ…‡œ‹‡‡”ƒǯǡƒ‹’‘”–ƒ–’‡”‹‘†‘ˆˆƒ‹Ž›

ownership that saw The Dalmore brand come

to be recognised across the globe.

The Mackenzie era began following the

†‡’ƒ”–—”‡‘ˆ”ƒ–Š‡•‘ǯ•’”‡˜‹‘—•†‹•–‹ŽŽ‡”›

tenants, the last in a succession of leaseholders

who had all been unsuccessful in their whisky-

making efforts. One Andrew Mackenzie, just 24

years old at the time, took over the tenancy of

ƒŽ‘”‡‹…–‘„‡”ͳ ͅ͸͹ƒ†–Š‡•‹–‡™‡–‹–‘

production under his management on 28 January

1868. Thus began the story of The Dalmore single

ƒŽ–…‘–…Š™Š‹•›ƒ•™‡‘™‹––‘†ƒ›Ǥ

Joined by his brother Charles, the pair formed

Mackenzie Bros Ltd and, unusually for the time,

ˆ‘…—••‡†‘–Š‡•ƒŽ‡‘ˆƒŽ‘”‡ƒ•ƒǮ•‡Žˆ™Š‹•›ǯ

(single malt), rather than selling the spirit to

blenders as was increasingly becoming the norm.

……‘”†‹‰–‘Š‡ƒŽ‘”‡ǯ•ƒ•–‡”„Ž‡†‡”ǡ

Richard Paterson, they also had ambitions to focus

on whisky matured in casks. “What they wanted

to do more than anything was to stop selling new

•’‹”‹–ǡdz•ƒ›•‹…Šƒ”†ǤDz†”‡™†‡…‹†‡†ˆ‘”–Š‡β‹”•–

–‹‡–‘•–ƒ”–ƒ–—”‹‰‹…ƒ••ǡ•ƒ›‹‰ǡǮ™‡ǯ”‡‰‘‹‰

–‘ƒ–—”‡‘—”™Š‹•›ˆ‘”ͳͲǡʹͲǡ͵Ͳ›‡ƒ”•Ǥǯ‡‘’Ž‡

•ƒ‹†Š‡™ƒ•‘ˆˆŠ‹•Š‡ƒ†„‡…ƒ—•‡‹–ǯ†‘–„‡‡†‘‡

before. They were mainly drinking unaged spirit

and maybe some three-year-old.”

The brothers doubled the capacity of the

†‹•–‹ŽŽ‡”›‹ͳ ͅ͹Ͷƒ†–Š‡‹…”‡ƒ•‡†’”‘†—…–‹‘ǡ

ƒŽ‘‰™‹–Š–Š‡‹”Žƒ†Ž‘”†ƒ–Š‡•‘ǯ•ˆƒ”ǦβŽ—‰

business connections, allowed them to expand

into the Far East and Australia; in fact, Dalmore

‹••ƒ‹†–‘„‡–Š‡β‹”•–•‹‰Ž‡ƒŽ–…‘–…Š™Š‹•›

ever sold down under. The Mackenzies eventually

took on full ownership of the distillery, its pier and

associated farms in 1891. During this time, they

had been exploring maturation in sherry casks, a

practice that was seen as a key marker of quality at

–Š‡–‹‡ƒ†‹•‘™ƒŽ‘”‡ǯ•ŠƒŽŽƒ”Ǥ‘—”…‡•

ƒŽ•‘•—‰‰‡•––Šƒ–ǡ‹ͳ ͅ ͅ͹ǡ–Š‡›⋐ƒŽŽ›ƒ…Š‹‡˜‡†

their ambition of ceasing sales of new make for

†‹”‡…–”‡–ƒ‹Ž–‘…‘•—‡”•ǡ–Š‘—‰Š‹–ǯ•—…Ž‡ƒ”

if this was due to falling demand, the result of a

clear strategy, or because the company simply

had an abundance of aged stock available during a

challenging trading period.

It was around this time that the brothers were

˜‹•‹–‡†„›Žˆ”‡†ƒ”ƒ”†ǡ–Š‡Ǯ‘”‹‰‹ƒŽǯ™Š‹•›

writer and author of the seminal text The Whisky

Distilleries of the United Kingdomȋͳ ͅ ͅ͹Ȍǡƒ†Š‡

describes the distillery set-up in good detail, right

down to the layout of feints receivers and wash

chargers. He explains that the distillery has its

WORDS CHRISTOPHER COATES

The Dalmore is celebrating its 180th anniversary year,

which means there’s been no better time to look back on

the legacy of this Ross-shire distillery

AGED 180 YEARS

028 - 033 - Dalmore-WM 167 .indd 28 09 / 04 / 2020 09 : 05