King Alexander III is The Dalmore's six-cask single malt, a Highland whisky assembled from spirit finished in six different types of wood. It carries no age statement and relies on blending skill for its depth, and it has been part of the distillery's core range for many years.
About This Whisky
The name honours the 1263 clan story behind the Mackenzie stag. Master distiller Richard Paterson draws on malts finished separately in small-batch bourbon casks, Matusalem oloroso butts, Madeira drums, Marsala barrels, Port pipes and Cabernet Sauvignon wine barriques, then marries them into one whisky. Each wood adds a different layer, from vanilla and citrus to red fruit and nutty sweetness. It is bottled at 40% ABV.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Seville orange, fudge and milk chocolate, with red berries and a resinous note of polished wood.
- Palate: Supple and sweet, bringing dried fruit, roasted nuts, a hint of tropical fruit and soft baking spice.
- Finish: Medium in length, with orange oil, cocoa and gentle oak.
Serving & Food
Pour it at room temperature into a Glencairn and sip it slowly, or add one large cube of ice on a warm evening. It is friendly with food: try it with braised beef short rib, a fruit-studded Christmas cake or a pot of salted caramel pots de crème.
How to Enjoy
Gifting and relaxed after-dinner drinking for anyone who likes a rich, sweet Highland malt with no smoke.
Product Details
Producer: The Dalmore
Expression: King Alexander III
Category: Highland single malt Scotch whisky
Country: Scotland
Region: Highland
Cask: Small-batch bourbon, Matusalem oloroso sherry, Madeira, Marsala, Port and Cabernet Sauvignon casks
Age: No age statement
ABV: 40% ABV
Volume: 700mL
About the Distillery
Alexander Matheson, whose fortune came from the Far East trading firm Jardine Matheson, set up The Dalmore in 1839 on the Cromarty Firth near Alness. The Mackenzie family arrived in 1867, first as operators and from 1891 as owners, and brought their clan emblem with them: a twelve-pointed stag, still fixed to every bottle.
Whyte & Mackay took the distillery into its group in 1960 and has been owned by Emperador of the Philippines since 2014. The house style is rich and unpeated, shaped by an unusual still set with water-jacketed spirit stills and by oloroso butts from González Byass, including casks seasoned with the 30-year-old Matusalem.