1/You've got the Dalmore 12 open at $149 and you're wondering what another rung buys. The range climbs from there to the Dalmore 18 at $536, then the Dalmore 21 Malt at $990. Three steps up the one house. The 12 pours tangerine and soft toffee over spicy dark chocolate, with prunes on the finish. Here's what each step up gives, and what the younger bottle still gives the older one's drinker.
2/First rung up: the Dalmore 18, six more years for $387 more. American oak and oloroso behind honey, orange marmalade and a wisp of smoke, closing on liquorice and citrus. Going up, the 18 gives a Dalmore 12 drinker about 90% of what the 12 does, and what's different is mostly six years of age. Coming back down, the 12 gives a Dalmore 18 drinker about 86% of what the 18 does, for 28% of its price.
3/Next rung: the Dalmore 21 Malt, three more years for $454 more. Twenty-one years showing as dark fruit, chocolate and warming spice, with an extraordinarily long sherry finish. Going up, the 21 gives a Dalmore 18 drinker about 97% of what the 18 does, and what's different is mostly three years of age. Coming back down, the 18 gives a 21 Malt drinker about 96% of what the 21 does, for 54% of its price.
4/So a yes for each drinker. The Dalmore 12 if it's already your bottle and that fruit-and-chocolate run suits you. The Dalmore 18 when the six years themselves are the point. The Dalmore 21 Malt when you want that maturity carried out to its longest finish. More is not always better; each rung simply answers a different drinker.
| slot | 08-13 | 08-20 | 08-27 | 09-03 | 09-10 | 09-17 | 09-24 | 10-01 | 10-08 | 10-15 | 10-22 | 10-29 | 11-05 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| list / member | 147.99 m 130.00 observed | 146.99 m 130.00 observed | 146.99 m 130.00 observed | 146.99 m 130.00 observed | 148.99 observed | 148.99 observed | 148.99 observed | 148.99 observed | 148.99 observed | 148.99 observed | 148.99 observed | 148.99 observed | 148.99 observed |
| basis | mean | median | sd | min | max | range | cv | se mean | latest | own-range pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| list | 148.45 | 148.99 | 0.88 | 146.99 | 148.99 | 2.00 | 0.6% | 0.24 | 148.99 | 100 |
| member | 143.15 | 148.99 | 9.12 | 130.00 | 148.99 | 18.99 | 6.4% | 2.53 | 148.99 | 100 |
| moments | m1 mean | m2 var | m3 skew | m4 ex-kurt | 95% band of the mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| list | 148.45 | 0.77 | -1.18 | -0.55 | 148.0 – 148.9 |
Ever met a whisky that tastes its age? I nosed the Dalmore 21 Malt and found dark fruit, chocolate, orange peel and sherry; the palate turns to caramel and oak, the finish runs long with sherry and spice. $990, and it drinks like twenty-one years. More in this week's piece.
Like the Dalmore 21 Malt? The Dalmore 18 gives a Dalmore 21 Malt drinker about 96% of what the 21 does. American oak and oloroso, honey, orange marmalade, a long citrus finish. At $536 it comes to 54% of the 21's price. More on the Dalmore 21 Malt in this week's piece.
Hand a Glenfiddich 18 drinker a Dalmore 21 Malt and they'd put up 66% of what their own bottle costs them, the markdown resting more on the name than the pour. This week's piece walks through where that lands — so which way would you lean?
A glass of Dalmore 21 Malt comes to $42.68 a standard drink at home, about 23 pours from the bottle — rich, chocolatey, long on sherry. Pour one and see; this week's piece has the full tasting of the Dalmore 21 Malt.
Dalmore 21 Malt is $990 at Dan Murphy's this week, and it usually sells around $990, so this is the shape of it to keep in mind. Twenty-one years of sherry, dark fruit and chocolate, with a finish that stays. Worth a pour if it's calling you. More in this week's piece.
Fond of the Dalmore 21 Malt? The Dalmore 12 at $149 carries about 72% of what it gives a Dalmore 21 Malt drinker, for 15% of the outlay: tangerines and soft toffee on the nose, orange and spicy dark chocolate, then vanilla and prunes to close. More in this week's piece.
Craigellachie 23 sits at $780 this week, where it usually sells around $800. For a Dalmore 21 Malt drinker it gives about 69% of what that bottle does, at 79% of its price — ripe dried fruit, a little peat smoke, maple syrup. More on Dalmore 21 Malt in this week's piece.
The Macallan Sherry Oak 12, $170 at Dan Murphy's. The nose is all Christmas cake and sherry, dried fruit and old leather. Then jaffa oranges, brittle toffee, light oak, and a hint of smoke. The youngest of the Sherry Oak line, and the one this week's piece is built around.
I kept coming back to the orange in The Dalmore 12: tangerine, cocktail cherries, long dark chocolate. For a The Macallan Sherry Oak 12 drinker it lands at about 98% of the Macallan, for 88% of its price, at $149. More on the Macallan in this week's piece.
Hand a Dalmore 21 Malt drinker The Macallan Sherry Oak 12 and they'd put up 66% of what their own bottle costs — marked down for being younger than theirs, though the sherry cake and old leather would still win them over. Who does it suit? That's the thread in this week's piece.
The Macallan Sherry Oak 12 is $170 at Dan Murphy's this week, right about its usual mark; we've seen it between $158 and $170. A sherried after-dinner pour — Christmas cake, dried fruit, a hint of smoke on the finish — for the drinker who likes it rich. More in this week's piece.
Like The Macallan Sherry Oak 12? When I want candied orange peel and dark chocolate, I pour The Macallan 12 Double Cask, $137. It gives a Sherry Oak drinker about 97% of what they'd get, at 81% of the price. Try a glass. More in this week's piece.
The Dalmore 18 is one to pour late: honey and orange marmalade on the nose, then marzipan, sherry and bitter chocolate, with liquorice trailing a long finish. $536. There's more on it in this week's piece. Find a glass and give it a proper nose.
The Dalmore 12 gives a The Dalmore 18 drinker about 86% of what the 18 does, for 28% of the price, at $149. Tangerine and toffee on the nose, dark chocolate and ginger on the palate, vanilla and prunes to finish. Worth a pour before the 18? More in this week's piece.
Hand a Glenfiddich 18 drinker The Dalmore 18 and they'd put it at 67% of what their own bottle costs, with the name on the label doing most of the marking down. Pour one and see where you land. More in this week's piece on The Dalmore 18.
The Dalmore 18 comes to $22.57 a standard drink poured at home, around 24 to the bottle, which is simply what's sitting in your glass. More on it in this week's piece.
The Dalmore 18 is $536 at Dan Murphy's this week, and it usually sells around $536, so this is simply where it tends to sit rather than anything out of the ordinary, and there's more on it in this week's piece.
The surprise this week: The Macallan Sherry Oak 12 gives a fan of The Dalmore 18 about 80% of what it does, for 32% of its price, at $170 a bottle. Sherry, Christmas cake, dried fruit, a last hint of smoke. If that's your pour, yes. More on The Dalmore 18 this week.
The Macallan 12 Double Cask, $137 at Dan Murphy's. Two sherry-seasoned oaks, American and European: raisins, figs, candied orange peel, a little leather, then vanilla and white pepper. Warm and rich without going syrupy. Pour one and see. More in this week's piece.
Give The Macallan 12 Double Cask to someone who drinks the Dalmore 21 Malt and they'd put up 66% of what their own bottle costs, easing it down for the younger age. Two oaks, really: raisins, candied orange, a little leather. More in this week's piece.
The Macallan 12 Double Cask sits at $137 at Dan Murphy's this week, right where it tends to land. It usually sells around $137, and across what we've seen it's run from $137 to $145, so this week sits at the quiet end. More on The Macallan 12 Double Cask in this week's piece.
If The Macallan Sherry Oak 12 is your bottle, the one that tastes most like it is The Dalmore 12. It gives you about 98% of what the Macallan does, for 88% of the price. Nearest two ways: by the words in the reviews, and by what drinkers reach for.
310 bottles at Dan Murphy's can be priced per standard drink this week. Cheapest first: Grant's Triple Wood 1 litre at $1.99 a standard drink; the median is $4.16; Dalmore 21 Malt is the highest at $42.68. 235 of the 310 come in under a pint at the pub, which works out at $6.28 a standard drink.
305 bottles at Dan Murphy's can be priced per standard drink this week. Cheapest first: McAllister 1 litre at $2.00 a standard drink; the median is $4.03; Dalmore 21 Malt is the highest at $42.68. 228 of the 305 come in under a pint at the pub, which works out at $6.28 a standard drink.
If the Dalmore 21 Malt is the one you reach for, the closest thing to it at a lower price carries the same name. The Dalmore 18 is $536, and to a Dalmore 21 Malt drinker it gives about 96% of what their own bottle does. Same distillery, most of the way there, a little over half the money.
Last Friday a mate stood at the counter in Dan Murphy's with a bottle of The Macallan Sherry Oak 12 in his hand, turning it over, half-deciding. He wanted to know what I'd put next to it. So here's what I told him, and a little more besides.
The bottle most like The Dalmore 18 at a lower price comes from the same distillery. The Dalmore 12, $149, gives a Dalmore 18 drinker about 86% of what their own bottle does. Same name on the label, same oloroso hand, a fraction of the outlay.
Hand a Macallan 12 Double Cask drinker a Dalmore 18 and they come away with about 90% of what they like. Run it the other way and the trade stalls: hand a Dalmore 18 drinker the Macallan and they'd put only 79% of their own bottle's price on it, marking it down mostly for being younger than theirs. The swap works going one way and not back.
| # | candidate | price | CEARP | price − CEARP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Dalmore 18 Year Old Scotch Whisky 700mL | $535.99 | $136.96 | +399.03 |
| 2 | Fettercairn 18YO Single Malt 700ml | $357.99 | $127.79 | +230.20 |
| 3 | Dalmore 21 Year Old Malt Whisky 700mL | $989.99 | $125.15 | +864.84 |
| 4 | The Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve Scotch Whisky 700mL | $230.99 | $122.74 | +108.25 |
| 5 | Macallan The HarmonyCol Rich Cacao 700mL | $800.00 | $119.81 | +680.19 |
| 6 | Oban 14 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $135.00 | $118.19 | +16.81 |
| 7 | The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $136.99 | $116.35 | +20.64 |
| 8 | Glenmorangie The Quinta Ruban 14 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky | $146.99 | $115.88 | +31.11 |
| 9 | Glenfiddich 18 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $174.90 | $115.16 | +59.74 |
| 10 | The Macallan Sherry Oak 12 Years Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $169.99 | $115.14 | +54.85 |