1/Some whiskies have fans. Dalwhinnie 15 has friends. It's the bottle that drinkers reach for as a matter of course, the one that turns up again and again near the top of other people's lists, quietly well-liked across the room rather than loved by a loyal few.
2/Here's the shape of it: Dalwhinnie 15 sits among the ten closest bottles for the drinkers of 18 others, where the typical bottle manages 9.0. Drinkers of Tomatin 12, Clynelish 14 and Glen Moray 15 would each find it near the top of their own list.
3/The whisky itself is one of the gentle ones. No smoke, but a deep honeyed sweetness on the nose: caramelised fruits, a touch of thick cream, a little fennel and sharp citrus. It's that chunkiness through the middle, soft and thick, that drinkers keep coming back for.
4/It's $95 at Dan Murphy's, where it usually sells around $95, and we've seen it from $95 to $129. That's about $3.99 a standard drink, a pour at home against $6.28 for a pint at the pub. For the regulars and the curious alike, an easy yes.
Glencadam 10 costs $0 more a bottle than Dalwhinnie 15. Both sit at $95. But at 46% against 43%, the Glencadam is the cheaper drink: $3.74 a standard drink against $3.99. The Dalwhinnie earns its keep. A deep, honeyed nose, caramelised fruits and a touch of thick cream, then a gentle, chunky middle that is the secret of it. Per standard drink this week: Glencadam 10, $3.74 Dalwhinnie 15, $3.99 Aberfeldy 12, $4.71 Glencadam 15, $5.51 Fettercairn 18, $13.85 A pint at the pub runs about $6.28. Four pour for less at home; the Fettercairn 18 asks more.
Clynelish 14 is fresh and appetising: brine and lemon-lime on the nose, vanilla malt beneath, then seaweed, peat and pepper into a clean, briny finish. The aperitif whisky, really. $109 for members. More in this week's piece — who would you pour it for?
Like Clynelish 14? Deanston 12 gives a Clynelish 14 drinker about 98% of what it does, for 89% of the price. It's $97 for members, where it usually sells around $104. Orange marmalade, honeyed shortbread, peppery oak on the finish. More on Clynelish 14 in this week's piece.
Ask the drinkers of the bottles nearest Clynelish 14 what they'd pay for it. Their answers run $83 to $142. At $109 for members, it sits inside that range. Pour one and see where you land. More on Clynelish 14 in this week's piece.
Clynelish 14 works out to about $4.29 a standard drink, roughly 25 to the bottle, where a pint at the pub sits nearer $6.28; for anyone who likes to sit of an evening with a fresh, briny aperitif, that's the shape of it, with more on Clynelish 14 in this week's piece.
If Clynelish 14 is your usual pour, Dalwhinnie 15 sits close by: honeyed caramelised fruits, a touch of cream and fennel, giving a Clynelish 14 drinker about 98% of what it offers for 87% of the price, at $95. Worth sitting beside this week's piece on Clynelish 14?
Deanston 12 opens with orange marmalade and salted caramel, honeyed shortbread on the nose, milk chocolate and a little peppery oak to close. Soft all the way. $97 for members at Dan's this week. Pour one and see where it settles. More in this week's piece.
Like Deanston 12? Dalwhinnie 15 is made for you. It hands a Deanston 12 drinker about 95% of what you already love, for 98% of the price, at $95. Pour it slow: caramelised fruits, a touch of cream, a light note of fennel. More on Deanston 12 in this week's piece.
I lined up the bottles nearest Deanston 12 and asked their drinkers what they'd pay for it. The answers ran $83 to $129. At $97 for members, it sits comfortably inside that spread. Where exactly, and what it means for you, is in this week's piece.
A pour of Deanston 12 at home comes to $3.79 a standard drink. A pint at the pub sits nearer $6.28 for the same measure, and there are about 26 pours in the bottle. More on how it tastes and who it suits in this week's piece. Which way does your week lean?
Deanston 12 is $97 for members at Dan Murphy's this week; it usually sells around $104. Marmalade and honeyed shortbread on the nose, salted caramel and milk chocolate on the palate, a peppery oak finish. One for the sweet-and-spice drinker — more on it in this week's piece.
Like Deanston 12? Glengoyne 12 gives a Deanston 12 drinker about 93% of what it does, for 92% of the price, at $89 for members. Fragrant once it opens up, cherry and apple over a clean malt. One to try if that's your corner. More on Deanston 12 in this week's piece.
Two bottles at $95, and the gap between them is $0, yet the glass tells a different story: at 46% against 43%, Glencadam 10 is the cheaper drink at $3.74 a standard drink against Dalwhinnie 15's $3.99. Per standard drink this week: Deanston 12 $3.79, Glencadam 15 $5.51, both sitting with those two under a pub pint's $6.28. Fettercairn 18 is well above that, at $13.85. Four quiet pours for any night, and the 18 for when you want to linger.
Clynelish 14 is the aperitif pour, fresh and briny and easy to drink. Lemon-lime and vanilla malt up front, then seaweed, peat and a lick of pepper into a salt-rinsed finish. $109 for members at Dan's. Pour it before dinner and see. More on it in this week's piece.
Like Clynelish 14? Dalwhinnie 15 gives its drinker about 98% of what Clynelish 14 does, for 87% of the price. Honeyed, with caramelised fruits and a touch of cream. It's $95. One for the drinker after something gentle. More on Clynelish 14 in this week's piece.
The bottles nearest Clynelish 14 all sit close in style, and if you ask their drinkers what it's worth the answers run from $83 to $138. At $109 for members it falls inside that range. Where would you place it? More in this week's piece.
A pint at the pub works out around $6.28 a standard drink. Clynelish 14 is $109, about 25 pours in the bottle, so $4.29 a nip at home. Fresh and briny, the aperitif sort. More on it in this week's piece.
If Clynelish 14 is your regular pour, Deanston 12 gives a Clynelish 14 drinker about 97% of what you'd find there for 89% of the price, landing at $97 for members, all orange marmalade and honey. More on Clynelish 14 in this week's piece.
Deanston 12 costs $2 more a bottle than Dalwhinnie 15, yet pour them side by side and the sums turn over. At 46.3% against 43%, the Deanston works out at $3.79 a standard drink, the Dalwhinnie at $4.00. The one with the higher bottle price is the cheaper drink. Across the three this week, per standard drink: Deanston 12 at $3.79, Dalwhinnie 15 at $4.00, Clynelish 14 at $4.29. All three land under a pint at the pub, which comes to about $6.28 a standard drink. Whichever you reach for, the pour at home sits well below the bar.
Deanston 12 noses of orange marmalade and shortbread dipped in honey, then turns soft and sweet on the palate: salted caramel, milk chocolate, hazelnuts, fudge, into a peppery oak finish. $97 for members this week; it usually sells around $112. More in this week's piece.
If Deanston 12 is your usual, Dalwhinnie 15 sits close by at $95, giving a Deanston 12 drinker about 94% of what the Deanston does for 98% of the price, all caramelised fruits, soft cream and a light touch of fennel. More on it in this week's piece on Deanston 12.
Ask the drinkers of Deanston 12's nearest bottles what it's worth, each starting from what they pay for their own, and you get a spread: $83 to $138. At $97 for members it lands comfortably inside. More on Deanston 12 in this week's piece.
Deanston 12 lands at $97 for members, about 26 standard drinks, so roughly $3.79 a pour at home — a pint at the pub runs about $6.28 a standard drink. Orange marmalade, honeyed shortbread in the glass. More on it in this week's piece.
Deanston 12 is $97 for members at Dan Murphy's this week. It usually sells around $112, and we've seen it between $97 and $112. Orange marmalade, salted caramel, a little peppery oak on the way out. Pour one and see what you make of it. More in this week's piece.
Like Deanston 12? Glengoyne 12 gives that drinker about 93% of what the Deanston 12 does, for 92% of its price, at $89 for members. Clean malt, and a splash of water brings it out fragrant: cherry, apple, a touch of almond. More on Deanston 12 in this week's piece.
Same money, this week. Glencadam 10 and Dalwhinnie 15: $0 between them a bottle. But 46% against 43% tips it — the Glencadam is the cheaper drink, $3.74 a standard drink against $4.00. Per standard drink: Glencadam 10, $95 — $3.74 Deanston 12, $97 — $3.79 Dalwhinnie 15, $95 — $4.00 Tomatin 12, $98 — $4.13 Glencadam 15, $140 — $5.51 A pint at the pub is about $6.28 a drink. All five sit under it, poured at home. The Dalwhinnie's still there for that honeyed, chunky middle: caramelised fruit, a little cream, a nightcap you sip slow.
Glass out after dinner, kitchen quiet: Glencadam 15 is back after a couple of years away, $140 for members at Dan Murphy's, about $5.51 a pour at home against $6.28 for a pint. Delicate and floral, then honey and roasted chestnuts, oak and ginger. More in this week's piece.
Clean malt, then cherry pits and apple once the water goes in: that's Glengoyne 12. For a Glencadam 15 drinker it gives about 94% of the glass, at 64% of the price, $89 for members. More on Glencadam 15 in this week's piece.
What would the drinkers of the bottles nearest Glencadam 15 pay for a bottle of it? Somewhere between $86 and $148, each starting from what they already pay for their own. At $140 for members it sits inside that range. The full working is in this week's piece.
What I keep coming back to with Glencadam 15: $5.51 a standard drink at home, about 25 pours to the bottle. A pint at the pub's about $6.28 a drink. If you like a delicate, honeyed malt, pour one and settle in with this week's piece.
| bottle | region | latest ticket | read | window price | CE 360° mean | premium | shelf rank | per std drink | drink rank | content |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dalwhinnie 15 | Highlands | $94.85 | observed | $94.95 | $88.20 | 7.1% | #10 of 38 | $3.99 | #9 of 36 | 40 |