Dalwhinnie 15 Years Old Scotch Whisky
Dalwhinnie 15 Years Old Scotch Whisky is a 750mL Highland single malt bottled at 43% ABV (86 proof) — 15 years of maturation in oak casks at one of Scotland's highest and coldest working distilleries, in the village of Dalwhinnie between the Grampian and Monadhliath ranges. It is Diageo's Highland representative in the Classic Malts range, nicknamed "The Gentle Spirit" for its heather-honey softness over a whisper of smoke. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
- ABV: 43% (86 proof)
- Size: 750mL (US bottling)
- Age: 15 years in oak casks
- Origin: Dalwhinnie Distillery, Highland, Scotland — built 1897
- Style: Single malt Scotch whisky; the Classic Malts Highland representative
- Water: From a loch at 2,000 feet in the Drumochter Hills
- Production: A single pair of copper pot stills with traditional worm tub condensers
The Gentle Spirit From the Cold Hills
Dalwhinnie — from the Gaelic Dail Chuinnidh, "Plain of Meetings," for the drovers' routes that crossed here — was built in 1897 at a remote Highland junction chosen for its pure water, its peat and its railway. Diageo bills it as Scotland's highest and coldest working distillery, and the Met Office once confirmed the village's average temperature at 6.0°C, the coldest of any inhabited place in Scotland: whisky matures slowly here, and specialist accounts credit the icy worm tubs and the long, cold rest for a weighty spirit that needs its 15 years to soften into honey. Its water falls from a loch at 2,000 feet in the Drumochter Hills that no other distillery uses. Browse the maker's other bottlings on the Dalwhinnie vendor page and in our whisky collection.
Tasting Notes
Per Diageo's official notes: a big, crisp, dry, aromatic nose with heather and a trace of peat; a light-to-medium, smooth body; a soft, lasting palate of heather-honey sweetness and vanilla, then deeper citrus-fruit notes and malted bread; and a long, lingering, surprisingly intense finish that starts sweet and gives way to smoke, peat and malt.
How to Enjoy
Neat, per Diageo — or chilled, which the producer notes releases the honeyed sweetness — or with a little still water to open the heather. More Highland malts are in our whisky collection and across our spirits collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Dalwhinnie called "The Gentle Spirit"?
For its signature profile — heather and honey sweetness with a smooth, smoky warmth rather than peat power. Fifteen years in the cold Highland climate rounds the distillery's weighty spirit into something soft and approachable.
Is Dalwhinnie 15 a Highland or Speyside whisky?
Highland — it is the Highland representative of Diageo's Classic Malts range, distilled in the village of Dalwhinnie south of Speyside proper. Some retailer listings file it under Speyside; Diageo's own classification is Highland.
Has Dalwhinnie 15 won any awards?
Diageo's product page lists a long run of results for the 15, including Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2007 and 2016 and 91 points at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge in 2016.
Heather, honey and high cold hills in a glass — order Dalwhinnie 15 Years Old Scotch Whisky online from Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.