Dalmore was founded by Alexander Matheson in 1839 and now stands as Whyte and Mackay’s largest distillery as well as being the flagship for the brand. The house style is undeniably one of rich, full-bodied whisky, with orange, chocolate and coffee flavours and Dalmore whisky is regularly enjoyed as a post dinner digestif. Matheson sold to Andrew and Charles Mackenzie in 1867, who introduced the 12-pointed Royal Stag emblem.
Complex multi-cask maturation was also a philosophy pioneered by the Mackenzies - a tradition kept alive today – enhancing and complementing The Dalmore’s distinctive house style. Dalmore’s original stills that date back to 1874, with four stills dating from the 1960s that are identical in their distinctive stumpy shape but twice the size. The flat tops unusually provides reflux in the wash stills, but increases copper contact while the spirit stills have water jackets to increase reflux again. The distillery has shell-and-tube condensers, but for the spirit stills these are horizontal so as to mimic worm tubs and bring more wright to the spirit. Due to the unorthodox nature of the set-up, the proces is still very manual, with still temperatures, spirit strength, and cut points regularly tweaked to achieve the right balance. The result is complex, full-bodied, and robust new make spirit, which allows the whisky to develop rich depth of flavour through long maturation in the world’s most exquisite casks, with sherry casks from Gonzalez Byass a regular favourite.
The distillery itself looks incredible, overlooking the Cromarty Firth. In 2022, it produced a record 4.5m litres of pure alcohol (lpa) but a £40m doubling of production capacity was scheduled for completion in 2024. A new, twin still house on the site of Dalmore’s now demolished Saladin box maltings (made obsolete in the 1980s) boasts a mash tun, wooden washbacks, and four stills as well as panoramic views. It also promises more sustainable production methods.
The classic 12 and 15 year old have long been a mainstay for lovers of rich Highland whisky, and the master blender, Richard Paterson, is one of the industry’s best loved celebrities. As well as working at Dalmore, Richard blends for Isle of Jura as well as Whyte and Mackay. Not one to shy from experimentation, he makes use of varying barley strains and age old vintages, which he blends with all the talent of a modern day alchemist.
Collection of ultra-premium whiskies havealso firmly established the distillery as one of distinction, with record prices paid for super rare and aged drams becoming the norm. In 2002, at McTear’s auction house in Glasgow, £25,877.50 was reached for a 62 year old bottle of Dalmore single malt, setting a new record for the highest price paid for a bottle of Scotch whisky. That was surpassed in 2009 when a whopping £27,600 was reached for Dalmore Oculus, which contained whiskies from 1878, 1922, 1926, 1939 and 1951. In 2013, The Dalmore created the Paterson Collection, a 12-bottle collection in homage to its legendary blender that went on sale in Harrods for £987,500. As recently as 2024, The Dalmore’s Luminary No.2, a 49-year-old single malt which was released in partnership with Scottish design museum V&A Dundee, sold for $117,400 during a Sotheby’s auction.