Getting Sirius: Luxist Samples The Dalmore's 58-Year-Old Scotch
There are some opportunities that only come up once in a lifetime – if you're lucky. You may not know them before they present themselves, but you sure will when they have. Experiences like driving a Ferrari around Italy. Dining on the top floor of the World Trade Center. Shaking hands with the President. Or drinking a whisky that's old enough to have been your father.
The good folks at The Dalmore distillery in the Scottish Highlands were kind enough to oblige us on that last one a few weeks ago. And we've spent at least a few minutes every day since trying to figure out how we'd describe the experience to you, our loyal readers. Follow the jump to read how we found it.
We first brought you news a couple of months ago of the Sirius, an incredibly exclusive single malt released this year after aging since 1951 in the vaults at The Dalmore distillery in the Highland of Alness. Having been bottled at long last earlier this year, that makes it 58 years old. By the time the angels took their share – whisky-speak for years' worth of evaporation – only twelve bottles were extracted from the original cask – at a cask strength of 45% – each selling for a handsome ￡10,000.
Of course we wish we had that kind of cash to spend on such a purchase, much as we do for most of the luxury items we bring you here on a regular basis. But such is the life of a freelance writer. Fortunately the distillery was kind enough to send us a sample for our consideration.
While the 12 bottles for sale arrive in individually-numbered, hand-blown crystal decanters, our sample arrived in a nondescript vile wrapped in more bubble-wrap than Bibendum, the Michelin tire mascot. But we could hardly believe our eyes when we held the test tube in our hands and read its simple label: Sirius. 1951.
Now we've enjoyed some old whiskies between us here at Luxist. Having started drinking scotch at the tender age of fifteen, this writer alone has savored plenty a dram at the usual 18, 25 or even more than 30 years old upon occasion. But 58 years is another ball-game altogether.
"Distinguished and elegant" is how Richard Paterson describes the Sirius. And he ought to know, serving as The Dalmore's master distiller. Paterson sent along the following tasting notes for us to consider while sampling the Sirius:
We don't doubt that the Sirius is possessed of all these intricacies. Nor do we doubt that the most finely-honed of palates will be able to appreciate these subtleties. But while we enjoy a fine whisky as much as the next guy – even more, we'd hope – such nuances are a littleLet the spirit gently roll over the palate, holding it long in the mouth to tease out its illuminating flavours. First coffee and bitter chocolate, followed by crushed almonds and ripe apple, then toffee, spicy cinnamon and toasted oak provide the perfect finish.
beyond us. Suffice it to say the experience was not lost on us, but if we're to be perfectly honest, we didn't quite pick up on the " intense citrus and honeyed chocolate" described elsewhere in the tasting notes. We'll leave that for the experts, and take Paterson at his word. What we did find was an exceptionally smooth malt that bordered on liquid caramel. But more than anything else, it tasted like... well, like scotch. Incredibly smooth scotch, to be sure, with more character than half the individuals we've come across in our lives and a delicate viscosity forming "legs" that would make the entire Victoria's Secret Fashion Show swoon with jealousy. What was immediately evident was that a malt like the Sirius – of which there aren't many others in the world – exists on a different plane from any we'd tasted before. Tasting it was a once-in-a-lifetime event: one that's been fifty-eight years in the making, and one we won't soon be forgetting.
