Visiting Porto for the unveiling of The Dalmore Cask Curation Series Port Edition

PR invite // All thoughts and opinions are, of course, my own. 

The second edition of The Dalmore Cask Curation Series has been released and I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Porto in Portugal to attend the unveiling.

Arriving at The Rebello Hotel in Porto

During our time with The Dalmore in Porto we had to pleasure of staying at the fairly new hotel The Rebello which sits on the Gaia side of the river. I’d definitely recommend the hotel if you are looking for accommodation in this area and it made for an excellent base for this trip as Graham’s Port Lodge is located right above it. I was sharing one of the double bedroom suite rooms and the beds were incredibly comfortable and each had an ensuite bathroom. The only thing I would note about the rooms in the hotel is that our room has a slightly odd smell in the living room area, but it wasn’t noticeable when the AC was turned out and I’m not sure if this was a temporary thing as no-one else seemed to have a similar issue. The hotel has a beautiful and relaxing spa, where you reserve a time slot beforehand. Although there is only a finish style sauna and a swimming pool with a jacuzzi section it has a gorgeous design and lovely beds where you can enjoy a moment of calm. Another highlight at the hotel was the food – the eggs Benedict for breakfast were a real treat and so was the chicken Caesar salad at the rooftop terrace. The rooftop terrace has a stunning view toward the monastery and bridges further down the river and it is well worth a visit for both the food, drinks and views. After this trip I have properly indulged in white port tonics and would highly recommend trying at least one during your visit. I’d describe it as the Aperol spritz of Portugal.

For our first evening we enjoyed a welcome drink on the terrace and Global Specialist for The Dalmore Craig Swindell had put together a lovely cocktail for us, the one pictured below, which was the perfect social sipper for the event.

Visiting the Douro Valley, Quinta dos Malvedos & lunch at Quinta do Bomfim

Our first adventure on the itinerary was a visit to the Duoro Valley. We happened to be in Porto at the same time as the horrible wildfires and it can be quite scary to see the ashes fall through the air like snowflakes and the sun burned red throughout the days. The Duoro is one of the areas less affected by the fires, so the weather was noticeably clearer there, as you’ll see from the photos. We arrived at the Symington Family Estates and the winery Quinta dos Malvedos where the harvest was underway. I have never been to a vineyard for port and never seen one with such differences in altitude either. The grapes grow in long rows up and down the hills, and it does make you wonder how difficult it must have been to establish these vines. Throughout the trip we had the pleasure of meeting several members from the Symington Family, who own Graham’s Port alongside an extensive portfolio of excellent brands, and it was Rob who showed us around in this location. We got to see and learn more both about the traditional harvest techniques at the winery and the more modern ones where the treading of the grapes which was initially done by foot now is done by a big machine. Following the visit we walked down to the river where a boat waited to take us down toward our lunch at the beautiful Quinta do Bomfim, a restaurant owned by the Symington Family. As the sun was shining and I was slowly sipping on a white port tonic, gently drifting down the river I could not help but think how incredibly lucky I am to have ended up here. Just the thought of being able to do things like this for work is mind-blowing and I am so happy I pursued work in the whisky world and put all that hard work in to it, to get to have moments like these.

At Quinta do Bomfim we enjoyed a lovely multiple course lunch and to my delight one of the courses was a steak tartare. I strongly believe that the way to my heart is through steak tartare, so well played Quinta do Bomfim. I was not surprised to try some absolutely lovely wines from the Symington Family portfolio, where my favourite one was a red wine from Pommel do Vesuvio. The massive bottle of Graham’s 10 Year Old Port was also a happy surprise and such a fun addition to the meal. I certainly was very happy and full as we started our journey back to the hotel.

Dinner at The Factory House

For the evening we headed over to the Porto side where dinner waited at The Factory House, which is a building associated with the port houses that have British ties. For someone like myself, who adored old building, it was a real treat to get to have a look inside and admire all the rooms. Alongside with food we enjoyed some stunning wines and there was of course port served with dessert and a wee dram of the travel retail version of The Dalmore King Alexander III which was a rich whisky that went surprisingly well with food – especially something like a venison main.

A tour of Graham’s Lodge and a tasting of single harvest tawny port

One of the highlights of the trip was getting to see the Graham’s Lodge which was sitting up on the hill just behind our hotel. The first thing we saw as we walked through the gates was these impressive vines hanging from above with ripe grapes that you walk underneath to get to the entrance. It’s like something out of a painting and my little romantic heart almost burst. It did not hurt the view that some rays of suns made it through the vines and bathed the lodge in golden sunlight. Inside the lodge we got a tour around the lodge which included seeing the casks, vats and also bottle cellar where vintages were kept. There is something about seeing old things that make me really emotional, especially when thinking about how the world would’ve looked when that bottle or cask was laid to rest. After yesterdays visit to the Duoro it was also great to see a map of the wineries around the valley and get a better understanding of where we where and the locations about the other vineyards around it.

To conclude the tour we sat down for a tasting, not knowing quite what was to come. We of course had an inkling that the new release – and the reason we were all here – had to do with port but not exactly in what way or what the release would be. Slowly throughout the tasting, our guesses became more and more educated. To start the tasting off, we enjoyed a 1997 single harvest tawny port, which was followed by another single harvest tawny port from 1994. The 1997 almost had a spearmint note alongside fruity raisins whilst the 1994 had a lovely balance of almonds and a softer fruitiness. Our third port was revealed and you could feel the excitement around the room. A single harvest tawny port from 1952. I’ll let that sink in for a second. That’s the same year Queen Elizabeth II became queen. It’s hard to describe how special it feels to have the opportunity to try something like that, and in a special location like this. The 1952 tawny reminded me of similar flavours you get from Sauternes. Less of a raisin character, and more sweet citrus whilst having a lovely soft and silky texture. Just sublime flavour in a glass. And definitely wetting the appetite for what was to come…

The unveiling of The Dalmore Visiting Porto for the unveiling of The Dalmore Cask Curation Series Port Edition

And time for the main event. We gathered on the terrace of Graham’s Port Lodge as The Dalmore Cask Curation Series Port Edition was unveiled revealing a stunning bespoke leather travel case holding three whiskies all matured in casks that formerly held single harvest tawny port.

For those of you who don’t know the port category that well: tawny port is a type of port that is matured in casks which is an oxidative type of maturation. It is during the time in the cake that tawny port gets its signature tawny colour which is the reason for its name. The single harvest term refers to that all grapes in that specific tawny port comes from one single year of harvest, rather than being a blend of different years grapes which is typical for age-statement tawny ports. In the port world there is also the vintage port category which are port wines made from specific harvest years that are deemed exceptional due to good growing seasons. The casks used for the Cask Curation Series Port Edition are each from a vintage year meaning that the harvests those years had good growing conditions and 1994 in particular is considered a very good year amongst the vintages (but bear in mind that these casks have held single harvest tawny port and not vintage port which is aged primarily in bottle).

The Port Edition consists of three whiskies:

The Dalmore Cask Curation Port Edition 27 Year Old 1997 Cask Finish (49.3%)

The Dalmore Cask Curation 30 Year Old 1994 Cask Finish (43.9%)

The Dalmore Cask Curation Port Edition 43 Year Old 1952 Cask Finish (41.8%)

All three whiskies are bottled at natural colour and are non-chill filtered. The Cask Curation Series Port Edition is only available in 150 sets worldwide.

It was fascinating to get to try each of the whiskies as I found them to be quite different in character even though you could find the similarity in the spirit itself. The 27 Year Old was the brightest with an array of fruity notes blending with florals and softer spice, whilst the 30 Year Old reminded me of Christmas and old libraries. I haven’t named the oldest whisky at a tasting as my favourite in quite a long time, but I found this 43 Year Old to be exceptional and it stole my heart (and I guess palate) for the evening. It is delightful to try a whisky with such complexity and each sip seems to reveal a new layer of flavour. The port cask influence being very much present and presenting plump rich fruits alongside an antique character which only seems to appear in some older whiskies but is quite hard to explain. It’s a mix of soft leather, powdery chalk, elegant and usually golden fruits but also intriguing mellow oak. I don’t quite know if I should just be in awe that I have had the opportunity to try something like this, or maybe slightly annoyed that it will be so hard for other whiskies to compare, but I choose the first and will remember this tasting fondly for a very long time to come.

I’ve also written an article for The Whiskey Wash on the Port Edition – which you can find here.

Dinner amongst the casks

Following our tasting of the unveiled whiskies, we ventured into the warehouse again where a table had been set up for our dinner, right in the middle of the large wooden vats. Quite the spectacular setting for a dinner and as if we hadn’t already had several fascinating sensory experiences after the other. the Symington Family pulled out one last surprise. The Graham’s 50 Year Old Tawny Port was just launched before our visit and we had the absolute pleasure of trying it after the dinner. I had already fallen in love with the 20 Year Old port during our first evening in Porto and was not sure quite what to expect from the 50 Year Old. I find it really intriguing to see how complex the sweetness becomes in aged port. It’s easy to disregard port as something overly sweet and unrefined but as soon as you give good port a go, it will be difficult to turn back. The aged fruits, refined sweetness and wood influence add up to make such a wonderful drinking experience and I definitely have to thank The Dalmore and the Symington Family for turning my curiosity for port into full blown fascination.

Thank you to The Dalmore for having me for this wonderful trip. It was such a pleasure!

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