Dalmore King Alexander III
The Dalmore King Alexander III is a concoction of mister Richard Paterson, and he had quite some master blending to do indeed. Because this whisky is made up of a variety of different cask types: ex-bourbon casks, Matusalem oloroso sherry wood, Madeira barrels, Marsala casks, port pipes and Cabernet Sauvignon wine barriques. Phew!
The sample for this whisky was provided by a good whisky friend. I reviewed it blind, and only later he told me what I actually tasted.
Dalmore King Alexander III (40%, OB)
Nose: Black berries, cherries and chocolate. Some salted caramel and some soy too. The damp wood adds a pleasant extra layer.
Taste: Licorice and lots of lovely fruits, such as raisins, dates and plums. There is some black pepper and sal ammoniac, with some aniseed thrown in the mix. Pretty rich, especially considering that this was bottled at only 40 percent.
Finish: The dark red fruits linger, but not for too long.
Rating: 84
A pleasant whisky with plenty of dark (red) fruit. It reminded me of the Aberlour 16 in a good way, but that also poses a problem. Because that one will cost you a fraction of the Dalmore King Alexander III. But that shouldn’t be a surprise, because by now we know that almost every Dalmore is overpriced, right?
Thijs is a spirits writer and accredited liquorist from The Netherlands. He runs the blog Words of Whisky and contributes to a number of Dutch and international publications.
I think you are spot on with the review, very drinkable but not worth the price.