Similar to The Dalmore 12?

fortyfourcaliber

Hey guys,

I'm looking for a single malt that smells and tastes like The Dalmore 12. My birthday is coming up and I was going to just replace my current bottle, but I wanted to try something new. Is that taste unique to Dalmore or are there others that have a similar character? The perfect dram to me would be the Christmasy candy feel of Dalmore with the slight peat of Highland Park.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

kroman

@fortyfourcaliber 

Happy upcoming birthday!

An ideal alternative to the Dalmore 12 would be the Glenmorangie Lasanta or Quinta Ruban, other whiskies from a distillery in the same region (the Highlands).  Personally, I like the Quinta Ruban much better than the Lasanta.  While the Quinta Ruban is finished in port instead of sherry (Dalmore 12 and Lasanta are finished in sherry), the flavors aren't hugely different.  However, if you want a whisky like Dalmore, but want to experiment a little bit more, I would consider Bunnahabhain 12, one of my personal favorites!  

Bunnahabhain 12 is a slightly sherried scotch, like the Dalmore, but it has some extra alcohol in it (46.3 % abv).  While this will give you a bigger "kick" than the Dalmore, it is a little richer in flavor as well.  The nose has dark fruits, nuts and a little vanilla, and the palate has more Christmas cake than candy, but still great nonetheless.  It's also uncolored and non-chillfilterd (Dalmore both chill filters and colors their whiskies), so it's a more "traditional" scotch.   

Although an Islay whisky, the Bunnahabhain 12 is unpeated, so if you're looking for a touch of smoke, Benromach 10 would also be a good choice.

All four whiskies I mentioned above are easy to find (Benromach might be a little harder) and they are all around $60 (like the Dalmore), so they won't break the bank!  Of the bunch, the Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban is the more expensive, around $65 or so. 

Enjoy!
 

horst_s_2

@kroman @fortyfourcaliber 

I would as well go for the Glenmorangies. And as kroman does I like the Quinta Ruban more than the Lasanta.

Agerskov

You could also try other sherry finished whiskies like the Balvenie 12Y Double Wood, the Aberlour 12Y Double Cask or The Macallan 12Y Double Cask (all of them are unpeated). I have tried the first two of those, and I would say that the Aberlour is a little closer to Dalmore than the Balvenie, as the the sherry influence is a little more noticeable on the Aberlour. 

hwchoy

@Agerskov @fortyfourcaliber 

for Aberlour I would strongly recommend the Aberlour 15.