Mit Glenfarclas holst Du Dir einen wuchtigen, würzigen und Sherry getriebenen Whisky ins Glas. Seit Generationen in der Hand der Familie Grant ist Glenfarclas heute eine der letzten Destillerien in schottischer Hand. Du bekommst einen ehrlichen, ungefärbten Whisky - einen echten Oldschool Scotch!
The history of Dalwhinnie
The Dalwhinnie Distillery was built in 1897, making it one of the younger whisky distilleries from the late 19th century. It is actually surprising that a whisky distillery was not built here earlier. After all, the place has always been known as a hub for trade routes. In the heyday of moonshiners and whisky smugglers, plenty of whisky was smuggled here, hidden under the thick hair of Highland cows.
Dalwhinnie was founded by John Grant, George Sellar and Alexander Mackenzie in 1897. However, initially not under the name Dalwhinnie, but as Strathspey Distillery. However, with little success, the owners had to hand the distillery over to AP Blyth & Sons and John Sommerville & Co. a year later. They renamed the distillery Dalwhinnie. In 1905 they sold Dalwhinnie to the American group Cook & Bernheimer. This made Dalwhinnie the first Scottish distillery to be managed by a non-British company. Today this is the rule rather than the exception.
In 1919, Cook & Bernheimer sold Dalwhinnie to blender Macdonald Greenless, who later merged with DCL. Ultimately, DCL became the spirits company Diageo, which still owns the distillery today. In 1934 the distillery was partially destroyed by a large fire. The renovation work took a full four years, so that Dalwhinnie could not be put back into operation until 1938.
In 1987, the Dalwhinnie 15 years was added to the series of classic malts owned by Diageo (then still United Distillers). The Classic Malts represent the Scottish whisky regions with the exception of Campbeltown, where Diageo does not own a distillery. Classic malt representatives include: Dalwhinnie for the Highlands, Oban for the West Highlands, Talisker for the Isle of Skye, Glenkinchie for the Lowlands, Cragganmore for Speyside and Lagavulin for the Isle of Islay. In 1968 the Malting Floors were abandoned. In 1991 Dalwhinnie got its own visitor centre.
About Dalwhinnie
Where does Dalwhinnie whisky come from? Dalwhinnie Distillery is literally in the middle of Scotland. Located in the central Highlands just off the A9, the distillery is perfect for a short visit. The A9 connects Scotland's south and north, stretching from the Lowlands to the North Highlands. It runs from Edinburgh via the Highland capital of Inverness up to Thurso on the north coast. Dalwhinnie Distillery is nestled in a valley in the foothills of the Cairngorm National Park.
Dalwhinnie was once the highest whisky distillery in Scotland. At 326 meters high, the pretty white buildings with the dark pagoda roofs tower over the road that leads from the south into the heart of the Highlands. The distillery still happily bears the title, although it was replaced by Braeval (also known as Braes of Glenlivet) in 1974. With 355 meters of altitude difference, the little-known Dalwhinnie distillery has wrested the title from it. Undoubtedly, however, Dalwhinnie is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the Scotch whisky landscape. The place once served as a hub for important trade and smuggler routes. Later Dalwhinnie retained its importance as a railway station on the trade route between Speyside and the south of Scotland. Appropriately, the name Dalwhinnie means 'meeting place' in Gaelic.
Fun fact about Dalwhinnie: Thanks to its location, the distillery is not only one of the highest distilleries in Scotland, but also the coldest. Dalwhinnie plays with this idiosyncrasy over and over again, as in the naming of their bottlings Dalwhinnie Winter's Gold and the Game of Thrones special edition Dalwhinnie Winter's Frost Haus Stark. Due to its exposed location, there is a meteorological measuring station in a small white house on the site. For many years it was one of the distillery manager's duties to read and transmit the weather data. Today this happens automatically. With Dalwhinnie delivering the coldest average temperature in the UK at 6 degrees. But luckily the whisky keeps you warm.
3 reasons to love Dalwhinnie
1) Because hardly any whisky is Highland anymore.
2) Because heather honey never goes out of style.
3) Because there is no way around Dalwhinnie on a journey into the heart of whisky.
How does Dalwhinnie whisky taste?
Dalwhinnie is known as a smooth, warm single malt with subtle notes of honey, heather and caramel. Flowery aromas and light fruit notes resonate in the taste of Dalwhinnie whiskies. You may notice a subtle background smoke in Dalwhinnie Single Malts. Malt and delicate nutty notes are also often associated with Dalwhinnie.
Recommendations in the Dalwhinnie range
Dalwhinnie is one of the Scottish distilleries that focuses primarily on one bottling: The Dalwhinnie 15 year old is the clear trademark of the distillery and the best-selling whisky in the range. The Dalwhinnie 15 year old represents the Highland region in the series of classic malts from owner Diageo. With its mature age of 15 years, the malt convinces with a pleasant and comparatively low price. The bottling is therefore perfect as a beginner's whisky and as a gift.
If you want to expand your taste experience with Dalwhinnie, grab the Dalwhinnie Distillers Edition. This is renewed every year and is therefore released as a vintage bottling. Most of them are also 15 years old and have been finished in Spanish Oloroso sherry casks. This sherry finishing gives the Dalwhinnie Distillers Edition an extra aroma of dark fruits and spices. A great extension of the standard version.
Dalwhinnie Winter's Gold is only distilled in winter. The copper tubes on the outside, in which the alcohol vapor condenses, are then particularly cold. This leads to less copper contact, which makes the Dalwhinnie Winters Gold a little stronger in aroma. The distillery recommends serving this bottling chilled.
A popular special edition is the Dalwhinnie Winter's Frost House Stark Game of Thrones. This bottling comes from Diageo's Game of Thrones range, which was created in honor of the popular HBO fantasy series. The limited fan edition is equipped with a chic gift box and the coat of arms of the House of Stark. A must for Game of Thrones fans.
How is Dalwhinnie Single Malt made?
Dalwhinnie Single Malt is made from delicately peated malt. While the heavily smoky Islay whiskys focus on the smoke, Dalwhinnie only uses peat as a subtle spice. The smoke content is so low that it is usually not noticeable when enjoying Dalwhinnie whiskys. We would therefore categorize Dalwhinnie as more of a non-smoky single malt Scotch based on our definition.
Dalwhinnie processes their malt at the distillery in a 7.3 tonne Full Lauter Mash Tun. The fermentation takes place in six wooden, traditional wash backs. Fermentation times range from 60 hours on weekdays to 110 hours on weekends. Dalwhinnie distills on two pot stills and with the current production comes to about 1.4 million liters of raw spirits per year.
A unique feature of Dalwhinnie is the use of Worm Tub Condensers. This traditional chilling method is only used sparingly in Scotland, as it is associated with a lower yield. Worm tubs are copper tubes through which the hot alcohol vapor from the still is passed. They lie in a cold water bath outside the distillery. This allows the alcohol vapor to condense in the cold copper pipes. Interestingly, using Worm Tub Condensers results in a more sulphurous New Make Spirit. This heavier spirit tends to result in a stronger, meatier or spicier whisky. Other examples of whisky distilleries with worm tubs are Mortlach, Edradour, Craigellachie or Old Pulteney. Due to the long maturation and the bottling in low volume percentages of 43% vol. Dalwhinnie remains a mild, pleasant single malt. The unusual method may give the whisky a certain depth that connoisseurs appreciate.
The history of Dalwhinnie
The Dalwhinnie Distillery was built in 1897, making it one of the younger whisky distilleries from the late 19th century. It is actually surprising that a whisky distillery was not built here earlier. After all, the place has always been known as a hub for trade routes. In the heyday of moonshiners and whisky smugglers, plenty of whisky was smuggled here, hidden under the thick hair of Highland cows.
Dalwhinnie was founded by John Grant, George Sellar and Alexander Mackenzie in 1897. However, initially not under the name Dalwhinnie, but as Strathspey Distillery. However, with little success, the owners had to hand the distillery over to AP Blyth & Sons and John Sommerville & Co. a year later. They renamed the distillery Dalwhinnie. In 1905 they sold Dalwhinnie to the American group Cook & Bernheimer. This made Dalwhinnie the first Scottish distillery to be managed by a non-British company. Today this is the rule rather than the exception.
In 1919, Cook & Bernheimer sold Dalwhinnie to blender Macdonald Greenless, who later merged with DCL. Ultimately, DCL became the spirits company Diageo, which still owns the distillery today. In 1934 the distillery was partially destroyed by a large fire. The renovation work took a full four years, so that Dalwhinnie could not be put back into operation until 1938.
In 1987, the Dalwhinnie 15 years was added to the series of classic malts owned by Diageo (then still United Distillers). The Classic Malts represent the Scottish whisky regions with the exception of Campbeltown, where Diageo does not own a distillery. Classic malt representatives include: Dalwhinnie for the Highlands, Oban for the West Highlands, Talisker for the Isle of Skye, Glenkinchie for the Lowlands, Cragganmore for Speyside and Lagavulin for the Isle of Islay. In 1968 the Malting Floors were abandoned. In 1991 Dalwhinnie got its own visitor centre.
Dalwhinnie Facts & Figures
Address: Dalwhinnie, Inverness-shire, PH19 1AB
Founded: 1897 by John Grant, George Sellar and Alexander Mackenzie
Region: Highland Whisky
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Smoke: Lightly peated / delicately smoky/peated
Owner: Diageo
Status: active
Capacity: approx. 1,400,000 lpa (litres per year)
Pot Stills: 1 wash still (17,000 l), 1 spirit still (14,000 l)
Washbacks: 6, wood
Mashtun: Full Lauter, 7.3 tons
Water: Allt an t'Sluie Burn
Visitor Centre: Yes
Telephone: +44 (0)1540 672219
Website: www.malts.com
Directions to the Dalwhinnie Distillery
Bildnachweis/ Bildquelle: Leon Schuster Malt Mariners, DIAGEO Germany GmbH