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Whisky Review: The Dalmore Luminary No.2 The Collectible 16 Year Old

The Dalmore Luminary No.2 The Collectible was released alongside the iconic The Rare 49 Year Old as part of The Dalmore and V&A Dundee's collaboration.

OVERALL RATING

8
$299.99
  • Phil Dwyer is a freelance whisky writer and consultant with over a decade of experience in whisky retail and online whisky education. Best known for hosting Whisky Wednesday on YouTube, he is dedicated to making whisky accessible and enjoyable by cutting through jargon and complexity.
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Tasting Notes

About:

Released alongside The Dalmore Luminary No.2 The Rare 49 Year Old, this 16 year old expression comprises 20,000 bottles. The whisky was matured in ex-bourbon before being finished in a combination of Graham Tawny Port pipes and Apostoles Sherry casks. Also in the mix is a small amount of peated Dalmore whisky, which is an unbelievable rarity.
Appearance:
Amontillado Sherry
Nose:
This is all over the place, but in a good way. You definitely get some subtle smoke kicking around. That is mixed in with some sweet honey notes, lime zest, dried apricots, powdered/chalky candy, madarin/slightly tart orange. The nose is almost split with these earthy and fruit driven sweet notes, then massively contrasting with this subtle smoke moving its way in and out of the sweet flavours. The smokiness could even be called smoked soy bean, even bordering on soy sauce. But in a way that is positive.
Palate:
Hard boiled fruit sweets (pineapple and peach), hot chocolate, creamy milk chocolate, slightly drying smoke, vanilla cream, choux pastry. If you chew on this and bring a lot of air into your mouth it does get rather oak driven and nicely spicy. Still unsual to have this in a Dalmore, but I am forgetting that it is a higher ABV than normal for the distillery. It gets a little ashy and earthy with liquorice and vanilla.
Finish:
Warming Christmas spices. Loads of mase, cinnamon and star anise, a gentle rise of heat, slightly mineral style smoke at the very end. Stepping into Island territory. There is a rum element to this in the taste, too. It’s like a hevay molasses, ester driven, Jamaica pot still style flavour to it. Super unusual.
Comments:
This is a lot of fun, but is quite closed across the board. It does come alive more on the finish, and gets better with time in the glass. I do feel that cask strength would have really elevated this expression.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Phil Dwyer

Phil Dwyer is a freelance whisky writer and consultant. With a decade of experience in whisky retail and nearly as long running Whisky Wednesday on YouTube, Phil is dedicated to sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm with fellow whisky lovers. His goal is to make whisky accessible and enjoyable, dispelling the jargon and complexity that can sometimes surround the spirit. In addition to his online presence, Phil managed The Whisky Shop Manchester, where he curated an impressive selection of some of the finest drams available.

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