Now in its third iteration, The Dalmore‘s annual Luminary release comprises two whiskies: The Collectible and The Rare, none of which we have reviewed to date. This year’s The Rare is a 52 year old Scotch limited to just a handful of bottles. Significantly more obtainable is The Collectible, our subject today and a 17 year old single malt with a release size of 20,000 bottles globally.

The Collectible 2025 started in ex-bourbon barrels before finishing across a combination of seven cask types:

Vintage Calvados
Aged Calvados
Matusalem sherry
Apostoles sherry
Bordeaux casks
Châteauneuf-du-Pape casks
Fully matured American oak

The final blend is bottled at 49.2% abv. It’s non-chill filtered with no additional color.

Let’s see how it tastes!

The Dalmore Luminary No.3 The Collectible 17 Years Old Review

The nose kicks things off with sliced peaches and ripe apricots, together forming a big hit of orchard fruit followed quickly by vanilla custard and creme brulee. The peach notes gradually transition to cooked fruit dusted with cinnamon. Herbal aromas — specifically jasmine tea and light wintergreen — build over time but never lose the grounding of the sweetened, dairy-rich desserts.

The first taste brings a big hit of Little Debbie Honey Buns, big on icing and sourdough bread all the way into a viscous (and almost sticky sweet) mouthfeel. A fruit cup medley — the kind one might find in a lunchbox — follows, with preserved peaches, pears, and maraschino cherries. Preserved orange rind builds toward the midpalate, and with it some very welcome tartness that starts cutting through the early sweetness. By the back palate, fruit continues but with spiced undertones, not unlike the nose; dustings of grated clove, cinnamon, and cardamom pods join (all in force) alongside the syrup-soaked fruit and citrus peel.

Honey-drizzled and marmalade-coated toast leads on the finish, equal parts sweet, yeasty, tart, and charred. It’s a fitting end to a complex palate that (mostly) walks a fine line between cloying and balanced, sweet and complex.

98.4 proof.

A- / $400 / thedalmore.com

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