Whisky - UK (2020-05)

Brand Focus The Dalmore

32 Whisky Magazine | Issue 167

one per cent of total port production.

Thus, the Colheita 1938 casks are

exceptionally old, rare and imbued with

•‘‡‘ˆ–Š‡⋐‡•–’‘”–βŽƒ˜‘—”•‘‡›

can buy. “What these casks did was take

that spirit matured in American white

‘ƒƒ†‰‹˜‡‹–„‘†›ǡƒŽ‘‰™‹–Š‘–‡•

of damson plums and morello cherries,”

adds Richard. “These are the kinds of

styles that come in when you use casks

–Šƒ–Š‡Ž†’‘”–™‹‡•Ǥ‡†‹†ƒ⋐‹•Š‘ˆ

ˆ‘—”›‡ƒ”•–‘‰‹˜‡—•–Š‡•–›Ž‡™‡™‡”‡

looking for.”

Next came maturation in The

Dalmore’s signature Matusalem

sherry butts, sourced from Jerez

winemaker Gonzalez Byass. Unlike

most of the sherry casks being used

by the industry today, which are newly

coopered American or European oak

casks seasoned for a minimum of

one year with (usually) young, dry

Oloroso sherries, the Matusalem casks

are actually sourced from the solera

•›•–‡•—•‡†–‘’”‘†—…‡ƒ˜‡”›‘Ž†ƒ†

™‘†‡”ˆ—ŽŽ›•™‡‡–ˆ‘”–‹β‹‡†™‹‡Ǥ

Dzƒ–—•ƒŽ‡‡ƒ•˜‡”›ǡ˜‡”›‘Ž†Ǥ

It’s a biblical reference to Matuselah,

‰”ƒ†ˆƒ–Š‡”‘ˆ‘ƒŠǡ™Š‘Ž‹˜‡†ˆ‘”ͻ͸ͻ

years,” explains Richard. “Matusalem

sherry is 75 per cent Palomino Fino,

25 per cent Pedro Ximenez grapes,

127g of sugar per litre, and minimum

ƒ˜‡”ƒ‰‡ƒ‰‡‘ˆ͵Ͳ‡ƒ”•Ž†Ȃ‘‡

of that two or three-year-old sherry.”

According to Gonzalez Byass, “The

™‹‡•ƒ‰‡‹†‹˜‹†—ƒŽŽ›ˆ‘”ͳͷ›‡ƒ”•‹

‘”†‡”–‘†‡˜‡Ž‘’–Š‡‹”‘™…Šƒ”ƒ…–‡”

and complexity. Then they are blended

and enter the Matusalem solera system

where the wine ages for an additional

15 years. The time aged as a blended

™‹‡‹•…”—…‹ƒŽƒ•‹––ƒ‡•ƒ•‹‰‹β‹…ƒ–

amount of time to integrate all the

†‹ˆˆ‡”‡–βŽƒ˜‘—”•ǣ–Š‡—––‹‡••ˆ”‘

the Palomino Fino, the fruitiness and

sweetness from the Pedro Ximenez... as

well as the alcohol. As the wine is only

bottled to order, it will typically age

—…ŠŽ‘‰‡”–Šƒ–Š‡‹‹—ƒ˜‡”ƒ‰‡

ƒ‰‡‘ˆ͵Ͳ›‡ƒ”•Ǥdz

Containing some of Gonzalez

Byass’s most precious aged wines, the

Matusalem soleras are made up only of

˜‡”›‘Ž†‡”‹…ƒ‘ƒ…ƒ••–Šƒ–Šƒ˜‡

„‡‡—•‡†ˆ‘”†‡…ƒ†‡•Ȃƒ›ƒ”‡͵Ͳ‘”

ͶͲ›‡ƒ”•‘Ž†ǡƒ†•‘‡—…Š‘Ž†‡”Ǥ–ǯ•

worth noting that a number of bodegas

‡˜‡„‘ƒ•–‘ˆŠƒ˜‹‰•‘Ž‡”ƒ…ƒ••–Šƒ–

ƒ”‡ʹͲͲ›‡ƒ”•‘Ž†‘”‘”‡ǨŠ‡‹”‰”‡ƒ–

age is due to sherry makers’ desire

for functionally inert casks that act as

„”‡ƒ–Šƒ„Ž‡˜‡••‡Ž•”ƒ–Š‡”–Šƒ†”‹˜‡”•

of maturation character. This is because,

—Ž‹‡‹™Š‹•›ǡ‘ƒǦ†‡”‹˜‡†…Šƒ”ƒ…–‡”

is not a key indicator of maturity in

Jerez wines. Instead, sherry relies on

biological ageing, for styles such as Fino,

ƒ†‘š‹†ƒ–‹˜‡ƒ‰‡‹‰ǡˆ‘”•–›Ž‡••—…Šƒ•

Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez.

Before being introduced to a solera

system, a new American oak cask

—•–β‹”•–„‡•‡ƒ•‘‡†™‹–Š›‘—‰

Jerez wines in a manner similar to the

widely practiced process used for the

preparation of sherry casks for the

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