The oldest whisky The Dalmore has ever put into its Cask Curation Series is a 45 year old, and it closes the series for good.
The Dalmore has released the Cask Curation Series: The Madeira Cask Edition, the fourth and final chapter of the collection it began in 2023. It is a set of three Highland single malts, aged 30, 34 and 45 years, each finished in a different style of Madeira cask supplied by Blandy’s, one of the island’s oldest winemaking families. The edition is limited to 150 sets worldwide at an RRP of £37,350, and reaches selected specialist retailers later this month.
Here are the numbers up front.
Bottle I is a 30 year old at 48.3% ABV, finished in a 2010 Terrantez pipe.
Bottle II is a 34 year old at 44.5% ABV, finished in a 2018 Bual pipe.
Bottle III is a 45 year old at 40.7% ABV, finished in a 2012 Malvasia pipe. Every whisky spent almost its entire life in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels before a short Madeira finish. All three are bottled at 70cl.
The Dalmore Madeira Cask Edition and the series it completes
The Cask Curation Series is The Dalmore’s showcase for its relationships with famous wine and fortified-wine houses, using rare old stock to show how a single cask style reshapes the distillery’s spirit.
It launched in 2023 with a sherry edition made with González Byass, followed in 2024 by a port edition using Graham’s casks, and in 2025 by a red wine edition finished in Château Mont-Redon casks from Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Madeira is the send-off, and the partner is Blandy’s.
The choice of Madeira as the final act makes sense once you know The Dalmore’s cellar. Madeira casks have long sat alongside sherry, port and Cabernet Sauvignon in the distillery’s finishing toolkit, so ending the series here reads as a return to something close to the house’s heart rather than a novelty.
What Madeira wine actually brings to the cask
Madeira is a fortified wine from the Portuguese island of the same name, and it is unusual for how it is aged. Blandy’s uses the traditional Canteiro method, where casks rest in warm loft spaces and mature slowly through gentle heat and oxidation over years. That process is what gives Madeira its famous longevity and its layered, cooked-fruit depth.
Madeira is built around a handful of noble grapes, and their order from dry to sweet is the key to reading this set. Terrantez is rare and semi-dry, prized for its aromatic lift. Bual sits in the medium-rich middle. Malvasia, also known as Malmsey, is the richest and most decadent of them all.
Line that up against the whiskies and the curation logic is clear. The bright, semi-dry Terrantez went to the youngest and most expressive 30 year old. The rounder Bual met the broader 34 year old. The deepest Malvasia was saved for the 45 year old, where richness could stand up to more than four decades in oak.
“At Blandy’s Madeira, we strive to balance heritage with a spirit of innovation in every wine we create,” said Francisco Albuquerque, Blandy’s Madeira Master Wine Maker. He framed the partnership as a meeting of two family-minded houses that share a commitment to tradition and quality.
The official tasting notes
The Dalmore has not sent these out for independent tasting yet, so the notes below are the distillery’s own, expression by expression. We will update this piece with our own impressions if we get the drams in front of us.
Bottle I: 30 Year Old, 2010 Terrantez finish Nose: stone fruit, toasted walnuts, caramelised orange peel. Palate: dried apricot, sweet citrus, allspice. Finish: aromatic exotic spice, layered. ABV: 48.3% | Cask: 29 years ex-bourbon, then an eight-month finish in a 2010 Terrantez Madeira pipe.
Bottle II: 34 Year Old, 2018 Bual finish Nose: Seville orange, peach, Manuka honey. Palate: dried fruit, honey, exotic woods, patisserie and warming spices. Finish: warm, spiced, dried fruit. ABV: 44.5% | Cask: over 33 years ex-bourbon, then an eight-month finish in a 2018 Bual Madeira pipe.
Bottle III: 45 Year Old, 2012 Malvasia finish Nose: golden syrup, dried fruit, chocolate orange. Palate: bold dried fruit, spiced orange, dark chocolate, toffee. Finish: crystallised ginger and a hint of liquorice. ABV: 40.7% | Cask: 44 years ex-bourbon, then a three-month finish in a 2012 Malvasia Madeira pipe.
On the 45 year old, Master Whisky Maker Dr Kirstie McCallum described the finish as closely nurtured to reach a balance between the aged Malvasia sweetness and the rich, mature spirit, calling it a true expression of whisky-making artistry.
How the three expressions compare
| Bottle I | Bottle II | Bottle III | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 30 years | 34 years | 45 years |
| ABV | 48.3% | 44.5% | 40.7% |
| Madeira cask | 2010 Terrantez | 2018 Bual | 2012 Malvasia |
| Finish length | 8 months | 8 months | 3 months |
| Style | Bright, semi-dry, aromatic | Rounded, warm, honeyed | Rich, dark-fruited, decadent |
| Character | Citrus and toasted nuts | Orchard fruit and spice | Chocolate orange and toffee |
The Dalmore in brief
The Dalmore is a Highland single malt distillery founded in 1839 at Alness, on the Cromarty Firth north of Inverness. Its stag emblem nods to a Clan Mackenzie legend, and its house style leans on rich, weighty spirit and an unusually deep bench of wine and sherry casks.
That cask library is the point here. Where some distilleries treat a Madeira finish as a one-off, The Dalmore has the age-stated stock and the cask relationships to run a whole finishing programme across 30, 34 and 45 year old spirit at once. That is what the Cask Curation Series has been about from the start.
Price and availability
RRP: £37,350 per set of three, roughly €44,000 or about 330,000 DKK at current rates. Bottle count: 150 sets worldwide, each 3 x 70cl. Release: later in September 2026, through selected specialist retailers.
This is a global release, so collectors in Europe, the US, and beyond can chase it through Dalmore’s specialist retail network rather than a single market. Given only 150 sets exist and the series is now closed, availability will be the real constraint, not the price tag on its own.
Who this is for
Let’s be clear about the category. At £37,350 for three bottles, this is a collector and investment-tier release, not a bottle you open on a Friday. It is aimed at people who already follow The Dalmore’s ultra-aged output, who want the complete four-edition Cask Curation set, or who value the specific pairing of Blandy’s Madeira with 30-to-45 year old Highland spirit.
For that buyer, the appeal is genuine. The 45 year old is the oldest whisky in the entire series, the Madeira angle is more unusual than another sherry or port finish, and the set marks the end of a four-year project. If you have been collecting the series since the 2023 sherry edition, this is the one that completes the shelf.
If you are here for a dram to drink this month, this is not that release, and it was never meant to be. Keep an eye on The Dalmore’s more attainable core range instead, and watch this space for our notes if we get to taste the Madeira trio.
Frequently asked questions
What is The Dalmore Cask Curation Series: The Madeira Cask Edition? It is a limited set of three Highland single malt Scotch whiskies from The Dalmore, aged 30, 34 and 45 years and each finished in a different Madeira cask from Blandy’s. It is the fourth and final edition of the Cask Curation Series, limited to 150 sets worldwide.
What does the Madeira Cask Edition taste like? Per the distillery, the 30 year old leans bright and citrus-led with toasted nuts, the 34 year old is warmer with Seville orange, honey and spice, and the 45 year old is the richest, offering chocolate orange, dried fruit, toffee and crystallised ginger. Styles run from semi-dry to decadent.
How much does the Dalmore Madeira Cask Edition cost? The recommended retail price is £37,350 for the set of three 70cl bottles, which is roughly €44,000 or about 330,000 DKK depending on exchange rates. It is sold only as a complete set, not as single bottles.
Where can I buy the Dalmore Madeira Cask Edition? It is released worldwide later in September 2026 through The Dalmore’s selected specialist retailers, so collectors across Europe, the US and beyond can source it. With just 150 sets globally, interested buyers should contact specialist retailers or The Dalmore directly.
What casks are used in the Madeira Cask Edition? Each whisky spent almost its whole life in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels, then a short finish in a Madeira pipe: a 2010 Terrantez for the 30 year old, a 2018 Bual for the 34 year old, and a 2012 Malvasia for the 45 year old, all supplied by Blandy’s Madeira.
Who is Blandy’s Madeira? Blandy’s is one of Madeira’s oldest and best-known winemaking families, producing award-winning fortified wine on the island for two centuries across seven generations. It ages its Madeira using the traditional Canteiro method, prized for the wine’s longevity and depth.
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