Dalwhinnie Winter's Gold

nothing to write home about. Diageo please stop making NAS

Diageo's Winter's Colorant Nose. Ground duck nose... 1975 Ardbeg without the funny smokey stuff... Midnight stroll to the barber shop... Epic, yet discrete... Haribo... Palate. Bam in your face... Classic 1494 Friar John Corr stuff... Bees collectibles... Horse... Bounty bar... Ardbeg stuff... Nectarines... Finish. Medium... Superior black pepper... Oysters on saffron truffles omelette... Fanta... Caramelized comfrey... Deep-fried granola (really.)... Avid Diageo employee... This is NAS and all... probably has some 4 year olds disliking it... definitely has some 25+ marketing people behind it... instant whisky...

Official tasting notes for the Dalwhinnie Winter's Gold Nose - powerful, gentle and clear, followed by a honey sweet dessert note. The fruity top notes of caramel and apricot are also accompanied by menthol and smoke. TASTE - gentle honey sweetness accompanied by aromas of ripe autumn fruits and an increasing spiciness with hints of molasses, mint and light smoke. Departure - Suitable for winter heartwarming, long and flattering with a pleasant lasting finish. Sweet malt, raisin and chocolate notes are transformed into spicy dates and sandalwood flavors. PERFECT SERVE - serve ice-cold and pure in a iced tumbler.

Warm the nose is OK, but for the internal application he has me too much uncomfortable wood. The Servierempfehlung (ice cold in iced Tumbler) is a joke - zero nose, suitable only for Exen, then the finish is reasonably pleasant. For 35-40 € a joke, target group Schickimickibar & Imagetrinker - main thing whisky, cool name, fast down, does not burn.

20 20 21 20 81 takes time and then pretty good!

This looks like a young NAS, heavily colored and caramelized. Not in itself wrong, but here it is masking something that is completely wrong. Inadequate.

https://whiskylovingpianist.wordpress.com/2020/05/25/on-location-dalwhinnie/ N: Our tour guide reiterates what’s on the label, ‘recommended for the freezer’ – ha, that’s sure to work! At room temperature, it noses like the already tempered 15yo but in first gear, stripped of anything that may ‘offend’. T: Spongey soft grain that develops raw and reveals its immaturity. F: Longer finish than the 15yo due to its snappy raw bite. C: Our guide sings the same song as at Blair Athol [also Diageo], namely ‘it’s about flavour, not age’. This is clearly THE message that’s been sent down from the marketing department to the shop floor, heard in every Diageo distillery at the time. Unless everything I’ve known about whisky has suddenly been wrong, once you’ve produced your spirit, the flavour ain’t going to come from anywhere else but from wood. I think this ‘flavour over age’ song will tire as people realize [even taste] the contradictions and clock the pricing inequality. Either that or the next generation of whisky drinkers will be groomed sufficiently on barley vodka. Incredibly, the price of this NAS [6-7 yo] expression and the 15yo is almost identical!

Nose: White sugar and green apple sweetness, ashy smokiness Palate: Very soft, simple sugar sweetness, no burn Finish: Light whisps of smoke

Smooth sweet whisky with a delicious after taste

Nose-76; Taste-76; Finish-77.

Nose: Cold: not much if any. Roomtemp: Some oak, wet carboard, vanilla. Rather weak. Hint of smoke. Initial taste: Cold: not much little citrus Roomtemp: Sweet oak. Hint of citrus, bit of apple and banana. Body: close to none Finish: short. Some vanilla and oak. Price: should be a 20 euro whisky, so it's rather overpriced. Presentation: A tonne of marketing and the freezing part doesn't do it any good at all. It's a very good middle-of-the-road whisky which should be taken as a mixer. Buy something else.

Winter’s Gold is inspired by the distillery’s rather high altitude and is made of spirit that has been distilled between October and March. Probably the most “interesting” part is the suggest serve though...My full review:http://dramlicious.com/tasty-tastings-episode-82/

N: Perversely, this follows on from the Dalwhinnie 15 WB where I got almost nothing from the nose due to the cold [in July!]. The tour guide reiterates what's on the label, 'recommended for the freezer' - ha, that's sure to work! At hand temperature, it noses like the already tempered 15yo but in first gear. T: Spongey, soft grain yet develops raw and in turn reveals its immaturity. F: Longer finish than the 15 due to its raw bite. It just bits at you. C: Same song at Blair Athol [also Diageo] - 'it's about flavour, not age'. This is clearly the big marketing message that's filtered down to the shop floor. Unless everything I've known about whisky has suddenly been wrong, once you've produced your spirit - the flavour ain't going to come from anywhere else but - ageing in wood. I think this 'flavour over age' song will tire as people realise the contradiction. Either that or the next generation of whisky drinkers will be groomed sufficiently on barley vodka. Shocking state of affairs. Scores a D-

An easy-drinking dram with soft fruit and honey notes.

Value (£26) : 7/10

68 / 100 Yummy

A very pleasant and well balanced malt. Good value.

Serge from Whiskyfun says:Dalwhinnie ‘Winter’s Gold’ (43%, OB, 2015) Diageo keep issuing NAS versions of their Classic Malts, and today it’s Dalwhinnie that’s on the table. Every time, there’s the same question that arises, ‘will they subsequently discontinue the former age-stated entry-level bottling?’ In this case, that would be the 15. I do not have the answer, and after all, rumours are only rumours. This Winter’s Gold, a name that might hint at the Distillery’s rather high altitude, is supposed to be put into the freezer prior to pouring. A strange idea, but after all, adding lemon to Corona or to Belgian white beers was a strange idea as well. In short, this is chill filtering without the filtering part. For good measure, we’ve followed the owners’ suggestion and have chilled a part of this baby (at -18°C, no less), while keeping the other part at room temperature. It’s the first time we’re doing this kind of stunt, but I guess there’s a first time for everything. Colour: gold. Nose (room temp): typical honeyed and vanilla-ed profile, with the trademark maltiness and whiffs of Seville oranges. Perhaps touches of ginger, which makes it a little cocktaily, in a fairly good way. Chilled: nada, niente, nichts. Or nosing it from two metres away ;-). But it’s fun to see it move like if it was oil in your glass. Mouth (room temp): peppery and rather oaky, with a feeling of sawdust, ginger, and cinnamon. Then more Dalwhinnian oranges and honey. Tastes young, with growing notes of fruit eau-de-vie. Certainly plum spirit, young slivovitz and all that. Chilled: well, as you won’t take litres in your mouth, it heats up very fast and after a first wee ‘ice cream effect’, you end up with the same oaky and slivovitzy profile. Finish (both room temp and chilled): malt, oranges and honey are back, but the signature remains rather oaky. Comments: an honest, rather simple drop, I’d say. Freezing it seems to be only useful if you live in the middle of Death Valley or in good old Timbuktu. SGP:351 - 78 points.

Colour: Amber Nose: tropical fruits, honey, and fresh apple notes. Taste: not delicate, nor light (as the ref. 15 yr one is), quite rich, again honey, fruity., a hint of pepper/spices. Finish: reasonable finish, more woody bottle characteristic for Dalwhinnie. I like it...but very different to what Dalwhinnie stands for "light'

Good entry-level whisky, interesting price.

épices,malt,douceur mielleuse,de la vanille-mandarine,puis pomme et poire,un peu de sherry en retour et des herbes sur la "bruyère"! presque un bon blend!

S 5 Overwhelming spice carried through the palate to finish no matter it's drink neat, on rock, or frozen. Serve chilled will elevate the palate but also suppress the nose. N 19 - Young and oily, almost like alcohol sanitiser - Fresh barley - Reserved honey P 21 - Smooth vanilla cream - Oak spice exploded right after - Bubble tea coming behind F 19 - Mid finish - Spice lingering - Old leather

Pure caramel sweetness, for me totally missing depth.

A real disappointment for me.

Before

The ‘Science of whisky’ masterclass saw Ian Buxton and Professor Paul Hughes explore how whisky is made, how differences between distilleries affect the spirit and the science behind those changes. Focusing on entry level whisky from Dalwhinnie WB, Mortlach WB and Royal Lochnagar WB, we had a rare chance to try the distillate, a young/maturing malt and the final product to be packaged and sold as NAS whiskies, for Dalwhinnie and Mortlach at least. First up was Dalwhinnie and ‘Winter’s Gold’. Dalwhinnie new make spirit [abv unknown] N: Malty, sweet porridge with sulphury hues as a familiar distillery profile. T: Metally like licking corrugated iron. Huge beer notes F: Malty porridge and sweet dried fruit bars. C: Really nice. Its all about the soft, dried, baking fruits. Dalwhinie 4-5yo [abv unknown] [None of the distilleries were forthcoming with the ages of their intermediate whiskies]. N: You can smell the family similarity. More rounded. T: Performs well, cereal notes maintaining the character of the distillate. F: Tracker bars again with oily, sulphury hues - although weirdly desirable sulphury finish C: Good oak development from the initial distillate. Lets hope it continues its form. In heinsight, this young 4-5 year old is more interesting and consistent than the Winters gold that followed. Scores a C Dalwhinnie ‘Winters Gold’ NAS 43% N: Fruity, perfumed notes. The porridge notes have become minerally. T: Small prickly, young fresh and mildly sweet. Funnily enough it seems way more spirity than the intermediate malt. F: Dry and heathery with some candy notes with an underlying sulphury finish [but less than the younger malt]. C: I prefer the younger spirit. It has more interest, no doubt holding onto the information from the new make. Is it then the result of under performing casks that mean theres not much to say about this NAS Winter's Gold, or is the NAS stowing much younger spirit behind its elder siblings? Who actually knows? Scores a D+

Sample drunk. Reasonably flat and somewhat too sweet whisky, unfortunately (by far) does not reach his bigger brother (15yo). Drinks easily, too easily. Incidentally, just drunk at room temperature.

for the story, the stills that come out of the roof to cool at the level of the coil, the gougère soft, a little spicy and moistened with gruyère that brings more scents than this liquid!

Round and soft Sweet honey malt and raisins

Following the “manufacturer's recommendation”, it actually actually comes from the freezer. As a result, the whisky takes on an exciting consistency, almost like syrup, it flows golden into the glass to match the name. An interesting experiment and I already have the feeling that Winter's Gold is actually optimally matched to the cooling, because then the smell and taste impressions are better balanced. Chilled, it fits well as a digestif after a hearty winter menu.

Side by side with the 15yo, normal room temp and freezer matured (7 hours) winters gold. The WG is quite syrupy and sweet honey, apricots, chocolate , red apple peppers, vanillas. Slight alcohol burn, bittersweet notes however easy sipping and quite insipid freezes compared to a more complex better room temperature version of the dram. Nice on a hot day. As the normal flavours develop as it warms up on your tongue. Taking the price difference into account will settle for the 15yo however both are tasty whiskies. Not worth a try for the freezer experiment, even on a hot day.

(Sample). Very sweet whisky, lacks some balance. Sweet prevails, somewhere he tries to get some sharp edges, but does not really succeed. Easy whisky for starting whisky drinkers.

Color: light gold Consistency: thin-lipped after panning, then thick drops, forming the beautiful Legs flow off quickly, oily Nose handtest: beautiful malty, pleasant fruity sweetness Nose in the glass ;-): very fresh and light, sparkling and slightly pungent sharpness, light sweetness, pear. Floral flowery. The floral disappears with time and the sweetness is intensified. The longer he sits in the glass, the more fruity he becomes. Palate: very soft, mild, oily, with time a nice smoky note comes to the fore. Again, the pear, the sweetness, paired with something grassy (I would say), tingling wood notes Finish: also mild and soft, slightly warming in the stomach, smoke (not as strong as on the palate), beautiful persistent fruit sweetness and again the tingling woody note, also long-lasting. I feel the Winter's Gold quite as a nice drinkable, in the nose multi-faceted whisky. Nice and round and if someone searches without rough edges, then I would address this here. In the iced state from a iced glass he does not like me at all - the nose is almost dead, on the palate, yes, something is developing there, but I can not say that it caused this "hammer" feeling with me. Finish, in still quite cool condition, well. Winter's Gold at room temperature, yes you can enjoy it.

Nice malt for a good price. Much better for my taste than the 15 year old.

This was a whisky I shared with my mate after a few in the pub or anyone else for that matter.

very sweet no more like 2 glasses

Freezer I remember raising my eyebrows when Diageo announced that Dalwhinnie Winter's Gold was best kept in the freezer before serving. When I visited the distillery in May 2025, it was poured at the tasting at the end of the tour. It was not, to be clear, frozen. The nose is not too bad. I get farm butter, honey, ginger, mint, caramel and a hint of peach. Very sweet, that is. The body is less oily than an earlier version I tasted, but still sufficiently mouth-filling. Honey-sweet with some ginger, oak and pear syrup. There is a slightly annoying bitterness in it like chicory. Midpalate it even becomes astringent. The finish is quite long, which I find a pleasant surprise, on bittersweet notes with a slightly drying effect on the deathbed. It's all not too bad, freezer or no freezer.

deep gold color probably due to caramel addition, the nose is reminiscent of a cheap pear brandy, with some honey and vanilla. The mouth has a nice thick texture but that's about all, a little alcohol, cereal, vanilla, pear, orange. Finish very short, spices, wood.

On the nose, a bit of a boozy nip and quite a lot of bitter citrus, with a menthol note too. The first taste is full of bitter marmalade, balanced by cereal and honeyed sweetness. With water it becomes softer, more floral and more interesting, but the finish is not long or complex. Overall this whisky feels a little bit unbalanced and a bit "hot" to me. There isn't a great deal of complexity. I'm subtracting marks for the daft spiel on the box about putting it in the freezer, too.

This is one of the poorest Nas bottlings I have ever tried and the remarkable thing is it costs more than the 15.

Absolutely revolting. The added caramel flavour and thick congealed jelly like texture in the mouth. Left it in the freezer for 6 hours to get it frozen for the added kick, true enough it was smooth and easier to drink but the lingering taste just kept coming. It was bitter yet mushy at the same time. Imagine having mushy peas with fish and chips, absolutely no no!

Very complex, herbs, some freshness / mint ?, long pleasant finish with touch of wood

Nose: lots of citrus. Lemons, tangerines, pamelo, melon, sour kiwi. After a while, honey and herbal notes appear. A lot of sweet fruit in the background: pineapple, papaya. Taste: delicate, alcohol undetectable. Caramel, vanilla, tropical fruit, candied orange, liquorice, aniseed. Finish: medium-long with notes of cinnamon and citrus. White pepper and green apples scroll in the background. The whisky leaves a cool and light impression on the tongue.

Whisky in the freezer, a bit streaky and benefits the taste.

One of the select few that I threw away at a festival.

Ten quid off when I bought it - not a bad dram at all.

My first meeting to the world of whiskys. Colour: Light amber Nose: Low key, but a lot more fruity than I expected. I sensed pears in the beginning, but as I sat with the glass I think its more into apples being the dominant flavour. Alongside a (to me) hard to define sweetness thats caramelly/honeyish. Mouth: Again very light, no liquor, no smoke. A bit of Oak in the aftertaste but nothing remarkable.  In general the taste didnt bring much, a glass that  I would easy serve for others new to the world of whisky. Its easy drinkable,  But it lacks character and complexity. At the very low price of 35 Euros im not gonna complain though, and I look forward to tasting it again, as I broaden my horizon. I drank it tempered, and tried both heat from hand, and a couple of drops water at the end, didn't feel it brought out any new flavours though. 74/100

Well, my expectations were very low, but in the end it is not all that bad. It is already creamy and fruity, so I can imagine this is enhanced when you cool it significantly. For those among us with a sweet tooth.

- good solid NAS single malt - significantly stronger and more angular than the 15 J. - for the price of 30€ to 35€ I prefer to buy the 15 year standard, golden winter or not...

Matured in American and European oak casks. Chill-filtered. Coloured.

Tasty for a joint event with Duthoron and his friend Pedro. Such a normal, cool whisky, which with its character really fits into colder weather.

Simply structured and somewhat flat; easy to drink, provided you don't focus on the flavors - 09.04.2016

[May, 2017]  Another one of this newish NAS whiskies many distilleries introduced over the last years simply to mask that they have a serious cask quality problem (due to the whisky boom there are not enough high quality bourbon or sherry casks available so the distilleries have to use virgin oak casks in addition AND reduce the maturation times in quality casks to use the same cask more often). And exactly this drives the quality of the resulting malts drastically towards the south.  More bitter virgin oakiness, unbalanced profiles and immature spirits combine to rather unpleasant drams (compared to the older standard editions).   And due to the whisky boom they can sell this stuff for even higher prices - scary to see how a whole industry bites the hands that feed them...  Never Accept Stupid marketing!

Ice-cooled as recommended is not possible, too alcoholic, because I can also approve a grain :-) At room temperature, he is still quite good. These are my notes.

Nose:A fresh and sweet smell of new wood with a small amount of citrus. Initial taste: Very sour and a lot of citrus and herbs. Body: A big wave of green tea and lemon with a sweet tone of honey. Finish: New wood with a small amount of smoke.

Blandness stretched to the extreme. Some sweetness, some alcoholic feel, some wood, some vague fruit notes. For added dullness, try the 'recommended' chilling of this whisky: now nothing remains but sugar flavoured spirit. Still, this is not a really bad whisky as such, it's just completely uninteresting.

I grabbed this bottle in the duty-free zone of the airport and really warmed up with it on several winter evenings. What can I say, this is quite a good drink that meets both its price and expectations.

Dalwhinnie Winter’s Gold SMSW 43%. 30ml sample May 2023. Matt orange. Aroma is apple, light peach. Pretty much just that. Sort of like peachy new make that has faded through air time. But I actually like the aroma. Simple and young seeming but fresh, fruity, clean. Body is watery. Taste is light and creamy – pretty watery up front, soft peachy fruit flavours but always very delicate, the lightly peated linger lifts the dram and stops it being flabby and flat. Without the peat this would be decidedly meh. But the peat is there and this is a very well-constructed basic whisky. Dalwhinnie spirit is pretty good and I don’t think this is showcasing it in its best light but it’s still a good 'start of the evening dram' - you wouldn't want to drink this after anything else, really. Drinks like an above-average blended Scotch, which is a compliment in my eyes and intended to be a compliment. 3.55/85

It is creamier and more gourmand than the 15 year old. Chantilly, vanilla, acacia honey, floral touches, with fruits and caramel, apricot tart, orange zest, lemon fonfit and condiments. Very fine pinch of salt. In the mouth, it is lighter but the vanilla is still predominant, the fruits are pulpier, gingerbread, cereals sprinkled with cinnamon and some discreet spices, cloves, ginger. Correct finish, roots and dark chocolate, black radish, dry earth, dates and some forest touches. Honestly, I found it better than the 15 year old. The flavors are sharper, more gourmand. It's much less austere and more expressive. https://ilikesky2020.blogspot.com/2024/11/dalwhinnie-winters-gold.html

Tried it directly at the distillery and, to me, it's more stimulating than the 15. The winter notes definitely come through, although I'm surprised if this is really due to the winter distillation, or if the barrels play a role here. 71-80 – Fine, like to drink by the time.

Pleasantly surprised by the edition. Nice nose, where I also get the slightest hint of peat smoke, which doesn't appear in the taste, but reappears in the finish.

Points: fragrance-86, taste-87, aftertaste-85 Average: 86 points

Lots of honey and heather. Likewise, wood and grain. With pineapple, mango and honeydew melon on the nose. Exactly what you would expect from a "mild Highlander". No complexity, but that's not expected of him either. On the tongue there is a little spice and it becomes more vanilla and more lemony. The finish is a bit dry and bitter. But a nice summer dram.

Light with spice and caramel. Tastes young with added e150.

Here we are dealing with a very pleasing, but unfortunately very one-dimensional bottling. The departure in particular suggests that he is still quite young. The Winter's Gold is clearly aimed more at beginners than at die-hard whisky connoisseurs. But considering the price, that's absolutely fine. https://www.aboutwhisky.de/tastingnotes/dalwhinnie-winters-gold/

Golden color. Light oiliness.

Nose. Unpeated Ardbeg (that citrus)... Fresh... Old leather... Gentle but big and wide... Morning trip to the florist... Ground duck liver... Apple pie... Palate. Bam in your face... Classic old style... Honey... Leather... Cocoa... Hints of smoke... Nectarines... Finish. Medium... Glorious peppercorn... Salmon... Orange concentrate... Candied yam... Fried tofu (really.)... Avid Scotch fan... This is NAS and all... probably has some 4 year... definitely has some 25+... instant classic...

Colour: Gold. Smell: A soft, simple and sweet whisky with aromas of honey, vanilla, malt sugar, cereals, barley, a hint of orange, hint of ginger, candied lemon peel, green apple, subtle sultana’s and some cedar wood. Taste: A simple, unbalanced, young and sweet whisky with aromas of pepper, oak, ginger, cinnamon, honey, vanilla, orange, plum juice, toffee, icing sugar, toffee, grapes, malted barley and again some cedar wood. Finish: A medium to shot finish with aromas of barley, honey, hint of orange, oak, touch of tannins and sweet sultanas. Conclusion: It’s rather young, edgy, unbalanced and overly sweet. I now understand why they advice you to freeze it before drinking. As you freeze the drink you’ll get nothing on the nose and when it warms up in your mouth it will open up a bit while your tongue is numbed so you’ll won’t taste the roughness. All in all not my kind of whisky. Marks: 6.1/10 http://www.worldwhisky.nl/review-357-dalwhinnie-winters-gold/

Great Dalwhinnie

Way too young of a Whisky. Light years away from the classic Dalwhinnie 15. They really tried to cut corners here.