If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Robb Report may receive an affiliate commission.

The Dalmore is a Highland distillery that is known for its luxury single malts that are, generally speaking, aged in bourbon barrels and then finished in sherry casks. Other casks are used for maturation as well, however, including port and red-wine barrels—and the brand leaned into the latter with its latest high-end release, Cask Curation Series: The Red Wine Cask Edition.

The Cask Curation Series launched in 2023, and each year since the distillery has focused on a different type of barrel that is part of its core maturation process. The first release was Sherry Edition, celebrating the distillery’s century-long relationship with González Byass in Spain with a trio of whiskies aged for 26, 28, and 43 years that were finished in a variety of vintage sherry casks. The 2024 release focused on port, with another trio of older whiskies (27, 30, and 43 years old) that were finished in carefully selected port pipes.

Following that trajectory, the new Red Wine Cask Edition is a trio of aged whiskies that were finished in red-wine barrels from the Châteauneuf-du-Pape region of France. Specifically, the Dalmore‘s whisky team worked with fourth-generation winemaker Pierre Fabre of Château Mont-Redon, founded in 1923, to select the barrels for secondary maturation. These were casks previously used to age Châteauneuf-du-Pape red wine (a blend that consists mostly of Grenache Noir, along with some Syrah, and a bit of Mourvèdre, among a few other grape varietals).

Each of the three whiskies, aged for 24, 34, and 43 years, was finished in these casks and bottled without chill filtration and no color added. “The layers of flavor from the complex grape blends held inside these Châteauneuf-du-Pape casks have been instrumental in the development of these three unique single malts,” said Dalmore master distiller Richard Paterson OBE in a statement. “Red-wine casks have played an integral role in shaping the Dalmore’s success, so it felt fitting to release some very rare expressions as part of the Cask Curation Series.”

We got to try all three of these single malts and came away impressed with how the older expressions maintained their character without becoming overly tannic, no small feat given their age and the red wine finish. The 24-year-old (40.7 percent ABV) has notes of berry, honey, and maple that coat your palate; the 34-year-old (40.5 percent ABV) is richer with a more tannic character and flavors of juicy grapes and pepper; and the oldest, the 43-year-old (40.3 percent ABV), doubles down on this profile and delivers notes of leather, dark berries, and dark chocolate.

Of course, this is an extremely limited release and the price that commands a steep price. The whiskies are sold as a set with only 150 available priced at $44,450 each. The three bottles come in a bespoke travel case made by Italian luggage makers AB Florence that you can also use to display the bottles. Check your specialty whisky retailer if you’re interested in purchasing one, and you can find the rest of the lineup at websites like ReserveBar now.