Dalwhinnie
The smooth honey whisky from Scotland's highest distillery. Everything about the 15 Years, the Winter's Gold, the flavour, how best to drink it and the glass that goes with it.
Scotland's highest and coldest distillery
Dalwhinnie is located at an altitude of 326 metres in the Drumochter Pass, in the heart of the Scottish Highlands, making it the highest working distillery in the country. It is also the coldest: the average annual temperature is around six degrees. The water comes from the Allt an t'Sluic spring in the Drumochter Hills. The distillery was built in 1897 and was initially called Strathspey.
Dalwhinnie is one of Diageo's six Classic Malts and is considered the most approachable of the group: smooth, honey-sweet and with a very light touch of smoke. The name comes from Gaelic and means something like 'meeting place', referring to the old cattle-driving routes that converged there. Precisely because of its smoothness, the 15 Years is often recommended as a first single malt.
In short
What types of Dalwhinnie are there?
Dalwhinnie 15 Years
The dependable classic: aged for fifteen years, smooth and honey-sweet with heather, vanilla and a light touch of peat on the finish.
Dalwhinnie Winter's Gold
Made from whisky distilled only during the winter months, and intended to be poured ice-cold from the freezer. Thicker, sweeter and creamier.
Dalwhinnie 15 Years 20 cl
The same 15 Years in a 20 cl bottle. Ideal for trying before buying a full bottle, or as a small gift.
The 15 Years is the classic; the Winter's Gold is for drinking straight from the freezer.
Honey, heather and a hint of smoke
Honey & heather
Sweet honey, dried heather and vanilla, with a fresh, almost cool top note. Very inviting and not sharp at all.
Soft and rounded
Soft and slightly oily, with honey, apple, pear and vanilla. Never sharp: this is a whisky that does not need to shout.
Long with light smoke
A long, warm finish with subtle peat smoke and a hint of spice. Just enough smoke to keep things interesting.
Flavor profile of Dalwhinnie 15 Years. Winter's Gold is sweeter and creamier and scores higher on sweetness, especially when served ice-cold.
Three ways to drink Dalwhinnie
Dalwhinnie is a whisky to drink neat. It is too soft and subtle to disappear into a bold cocktail, but a drop of water works wonders.
Neat with a drop of water
Pour 4 cl into a tulip-shaped tasting glass and add a few drops of water. This opens up the honey and heather notes and takes the edge off. Let it sit for a minute before tasting.
Glass: tasting glass →From the freezer
Winter's Gold is made to be served ice-cold. Put the bottle in the freezer for a few hours and pour it into a pre-chilled tumbler: the whisky becomes thicker, sweeter and creamier.
Glass: tumbler →As a Hot Toddy
4 cl Dalwhinnie with hot water, a spoonful of honey, a slice of lemon and a clove. The whisky's honey note is a perfect match for this recipe; ideal for a cold evening.
Hot Toddy recipe →Cocktails with Dalwhinnie
A smooth Highland malt should be used sparingly in cocktails. These four bring out its honey and fruit notes particularly well.
Whisky Sour
Whisky, lemon, sugar and egg white. Dalwhinnie's honey note makes the sour more rounded.
Hot Toddy
Whisky with hot water, honey, lemon and clove. Made for a Scottish winter evening.
Rusty Nail
Scotch with Drambuie over a large ice cube. Sweet, spicy and ready in ten seconds.
Penicillin
Blended Scotch with honey, ginger and lemon, topped with a smoky malt.The right glass for Dalwhinnie
A tulip-shaped tasting glass to gather the honey and heather notes, and a heavy tumbler for on the rocks or straight from the freezer. These are the glasses we recommend ourselves.
Everything else you wanted to know about Dalwhinnie
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