Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/11486
From Bagpipes to Port Pipes T he occasion was the VIP launch of Dalmore Master Distiller Richard Paterson’s most historic whisky to date: The Mackenzie, a limited edition of 3,000 individually numbered bottles with a SRP of $175, of which 1,200 are destined to reach the United States in June. The inspiration for this unusual single malt—the sole Dalmore expression to use whiskies aged only in American oak and port pipes—had its origin in the 13th century and was inspired by an 18th-century painting. According to legend, in 1263, Colin Fitzgerald, the first chief of Clan Mackenzie, saved Alexander III, King of Scotland, from being gored to death by an enraged stag. In gratitude, the king granted Clan Mackenzie permission to display the stag’s head symbol. One hundred years later, The Dalmore distillery, which was founded in 1839, was sold to Charles and Andrew MacKenzie. Since then, the stag’s head has adorned every bottle of Dalmore (becom- ing even more prominent as a silvered medallion since the distillery’s purchase by Whyte & Mackay in 2007). Such was the inspi- ration for Dalmore Mackenzie. “In 2003, I took whiskies that had been aging in Left to right: spirits writer Richard Carleton Hacker, Dalmore Master Distiller Richard Paterson and John Ruaridh Grant Mackenzie, the Earl of Cromartie, present-day chief of Clan Mackenzie, discuss the attributes of the new Mackenzie single malt. Hacker wears his medal as a member of Keepers of the Quaich. In the back- ground is “The Death of the Stag,” the painting that inspired the whisky. American oak since December 17, 1992 and transferred them to port pipes for six more years,” said Paterson. “When you put this 17-year-old whisky in your glass and hold it to the light, you can see that lovely redness derived from the port wood, symbolic of the blood spilled by the Mackenzie clan in honor of their king. And you can taste the marmalade—the DNA for Dalmore. But also look for plum, black currant and raspberry, with hints of ginger towards the end. When you sip The Mackenzie, hold it in your mouth, chew it, let its flavor come through. It’s taken a long time to get this expression, so give it the length of time it deserves.” With a portion of proceeds donated towards the restora- tion of Castle Leod, the clan’s legendary home, Dalmore’s Mackenzie will insure their legacy shall always remain. —Richard Carleton Hacker THE DALMORE SALUTES CLAN MACKENZIE As the misty gray clouds from a pass- ing storm darkened into night on March 17, 2010, the flickering blaze of a torch cast a festive glow outside the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh, and the haunting wail of a bagpipe started to lace through this ancient Scottish city. june 2010 / the tasting panel / 85 PHOTO: KEN LENNOX PHOTO: RICHARD CARLETON HACKER