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A Serendipitous Discovery In the early days, Scotch whisky was enjoyed straight from the still, without aging. Probably by accident and certainly by the 1820s it was discovered that if the spirit was left in a wooden cask for a year or more preferably more! it would lose harshness, become richer and more complex, gaining a sublime, natural golden colour. Initially used for shipping sherry, port, brandy and table wines from Europe to Scotlands greatest ports these fundamental oak vessels were put to further use. Now the fiery Scotch spirit could win character from the wood, warmed only by the redolent cask in our cool, damp Highland warehouses. Harmonious Craftsmanship During the 1970s, 1980s and 90s, the Master Distiller, Richard Paterson, filled French wine casks, Mediterranean Madeira drums, Sherry butts from Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, Marsala barrels from Sicily, Port pipes from the Douro and sweet Bourbon barrels from Kentucky with the fledgling Dalmore spirit. These he has monitored over the passing decades until each cask has matured its contents to perfection and his experimental innovation better understood. Now comes the real art selecting the casks so their individual characteristics work together, where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The goal is balance, complexity and character a harmony of aromas and flavours. This is what you have in the 1263 King Alexander III, a celebration of their heroic past, crafted in the present and an inspiration to an exciting future. This luxurious aged malt is the result of perfect maturation in a variety of wine casks. Aged aromatic Oloroso and Madeira butts provide great backbone and a structure of crushed almonds and rich citrus fruits. The rich Port and Marsala woods add hints of wild berries and fleshy plums. Warm vanilla notes of creamy toffee from the aged Bourbon barrels combine eloquently with the majestic whispers of ripe red fruits offered up by cabernet sauvignon barriques. Complex, characterful and craved by connoisseurs.
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