The ‘Hèrmes’ of men

When The Dalmore 50, a limited release of only a maximum of 50 hand-finished decanters (made of Baccarat crystal), was made available in the Philippines, five men immediately expressed interest. And The Dalmore 50, a coveted P3.5-million bottle of single malt whisky, was immediately sold. Dalmore regional managing director for Asia Glenn Manlapaz had only one request to the buyer, whose identity he keeps secret: that Dalmore be allowed to display the bottle first for six months at its store in Uptown Bonifacio. The buyer agreed, and bought another bottle of Dalmore single malt whisky, though “only” in the six-figures.

“It’s liquid gold, indeed,” agrees Manlapaz.

Why would men spend P3.5 million for a bottle of whisky instead of for a car or painting?

“Why would women buy an Hèrmes when another bag would also take them from point A to point B?” Manlapaz replies. “It’s like buying a Patek Philippe.” Other watches can tell time, other bags can hold your wallet and your makeup kit, but status is priceless.

Dalmore prides itself in being “The world’s most revered single malt whisky.”

Now, how did The Dalmore 50 come to be? In 1966, The Dalmore spirit was carefully filled into American white oak former bourbon casks. In 2003, the maturing whisky was transferred to Matusalem Oloroso Sherry casks from the world-renowned González Byass Bodega. In 2012, the whisky was then transferred to Port Colheita pipes from the Douro region of Portugal. In January 2016, reaching its desired profile, the spirit was transferred to former bourbon casks. Finally, the whisky was finessed in a Henri Giraud Champagne cask for 50 days before bottling.

The Dalmore 50 is the work of the distillery’s “nose,” master distiller Richard Paterson. A pioneer in the art of cask selection and a master of maturation, Richard Paterson celebrated a milestone on Sept. 5, 2016 — his 50th year in the whisky industry. In celebration of this golden milestone, The Dalmore 50 was bottled.

At The Dalmore store in Uptown Bonifacio, I couldn’t resist rubbing the belly of the smooth decanter of The Dalmore 50. It was a virtual Holy Grail of whiskies!

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For whisky lovers, The Dalmore store, I suppose, is like a candy store. About a hundred radiant whisky bottles and decanters, some worth five figures, most worth six figures and a coveted few worth seven figures, are displayed on glass shelves. On one corner is a “den,” where clients can keep their bottles of Dalmore aged a minimum of 20 years, in glass vaults. Only the owners of the bottles have a key to their vaults. Each vault is labeled, and a glance at the names reveals the roster of Manila’s 400.

Now what’s the difference between whisky and single malt whisky? According to  Adam Knox, The Dalmore resident whisky expert, single malt is made only from one grain, barley. Other whiskies are made from a combination of blends.

Manlapaz, Knox, Raymund Zamora and Megaworld’s Harold Geronimo hosted a whisky lunch for the PeopleAsia team led by its publisher Babe Romualdez at Salvatore Cuomo. After pumpkin soup, we were served The Dalmore 12, which has intricate aromas of citrus fruits, roasted coffee and chocolate that are said to give it “a character far beyond its age.”

Knox taught us to “nose” the whisky: sniff the whisky, moving the glass from your left nostril to your right and inhaling all the aroma. Repeat, this time inhaling from your mouth.

Then sip the whisky, keeping it in your mouth for about five seconds, twirling it around your tongue before swallowing. Then take a deep breath.

In short: “Sip, chew and enjoy.”

After The Dalmore 12, we had crunchy seafood and zucchini fritters “tempura” style followed by pan-fried salmon. The meal was topped with crème brulee and another round of whisky for those who wished for more.

The Dalmore, according to Knox, “has a heritage, a history.”

In 1263, during a hunting party, King Alexander III of Scotland was almost gored by a stag. Of all the men there, only one acted. Colin of Kintail, chief of the Clan Mackenzie, speared the stag, crying out, “Save the King!”

The act of saving King Alexander III’s life would prove to be a defining moment for Colin of Kintail, the Clan Mackenzie and in the history of Dalmore.

As a sign of gratitude for saving his life, King Alexander III awarded Colin the lands of Eilean Donan and the right to bear a 12-pointed royal stag as their crest.

After establishing The Dalmore and running it for 28 years, Alexander Matheson passed on the distillery in 1867 to Andrew and Charles Mackenzie. The Mackenzies brought with them the 12-pointed royal stag emblem that has adorned every bottle of The Dalmore since then.

The Mackenzies obviously had to live up to the history and symbol of the crest, fuelling their desire for success and perfection.

“Our fearlessness,” says Knox, “is evident in every single expression of The Dalmore, from the bold creativity of King Alexander III, to the adventurousness of the Constellation Collection (The 1951, 60-year-old Constellation Collection whisky sold for a record $325,000.) and the individuality of The Paterson Collection.”

The “Hèrmes of men,” concludes Manlapaz, “is the apex of all whiskies.” Now, that, is hard to beat.

Slangevar!