Whisky Focus - Dalwhinnie Winter’s Gold

Dalwhinnie adds No Age Statement Dalwhinnie Winter's Gold to core range.

Diageo have added a new No Age Statement whisky to its Dalwhinnie core range, named Dalwhinnie Winter's Gold, it will start appearing on shelves from this month.

The new whisky takes its "Winter's Gold" name tag from the fact that it only contains whisky which was distilled during the cold Scottish winters months between October and April.

So does using only whisky that was distilled during the winter months make a difference to the final whisky I hear you ask? Well I can say that the cold weather conditions at the Dalwhinnie distillery, which will be cold for most of the winter due it being the highest distillery in Scotland at at 326 metres above sea level will have an affect on the distilled spirits flavour during the condensing stage of production. If you are not familiar with malt whisky production methods then why not check out this excellent video How Scotch Malt Whisky is Made.

Basically, the colder the weather the less contact the spirit has with copper when passing through Dalwhinnie's traditional worm tubs, this produces a new make spirit which is sulphury in flavour and after maturation this spirit evolves to become rich in honeyed, heather flavours. But don't worry there is no trace of the sulphur in the matured whisky.

Ewan Mackintosh, the Dalwhinnie distillery manager, commented: "Distilled in the depths of winter at the highest distillery in the UK, Winter’s Gold honours the influence that the cold has on Dalwhinnie. Our master blender, Dr. Craig Wilson, only selects casks laid during Scottish winter months to create a golden, rich single malt whisky."

Paying homage to the environment in which it has been made, the distillery is suggesting you should serve the Dalwhinnie Winter’s Gold "frozen". I just couldn't bring myself to freeze the sample from Diageo and to be honest in my experience this only ever dulls the nose and flavour, it can be refreshing but personally I want the full unchilled flavour experience.

Dalwhinnie Winter’s Gold will be available from August in supermarkets and specialist whisky shops such as The Whisky Exchange. Matured in American and European Oak casks then bottled at 43% ABV, the RRP of the whisky in the UK is £38.

Does this mark the end of the Dalwhinnie 15, Diageo has not said so and I very much doubt it but I would guess it will be less readily available in supermarkets, being replaced on the shelves by the new Dalwhinnie Winter's Gold much the same way as the Talisker Skye has been replacing the Talisker 10 on many supermarket shelves, but you will still find them all in the specialist whisky shops such as The Whisky Exchange.

So what about the rest of Diageo's classic malt whiskies? I have heard whispers that Lagavulin and Cragganmore are next in line to have no age statement whiskies added to their core ranges. Personally a NAS Lagavulin hopefully coming in with a lesser price tag than the Lagavulin 16 year old appeals to me, as young feisty peaty whisky can be very good. As I said, just a whisper and I am not one to spread rumours but watch this space.
 

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