Dailuaine 22 Year (1973) Rare Malts

Review by: Raygun

Sampled a few from the Rare Malts line, and the reputation is entirely deserved from my experience. Diageo gets a lot of criticism for the product they put out, but I don’t believe anyone claims their distilleries are low quality. They picked some of their best for the Rare Malts. Reviewed from a sample thanks to Federal Agent. Rested about 20 minutes.

Distillery: Dailuaine 

Bottler: Dailuaine (Rare Malts)

Region/style: Speyside single malt Scotch

ABV: 60.92%. Cask strength. 

Age: 22 years. Distilled in 1973, bottled in 1996. 

Cask type: Unspecified, but probably bourbon casks.

Color: 0.6 old gold. Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.

Price: A lot

Nose: Snuffed candle, molasses, digestive biscuits. I don’t think Dailuaine was peated, but it smells like light peat. An earthy, barnyard kind of smell. Fresh pepper and citrus peel.    

Palate: It’s hot, which is hardly a surprise. Wax, molasses, and I pick up a touch of sulfur. Grapefruit, orange, and vanilla. There’s a sharp spice in here too, but I can’t quite pin it down. Almost like wasabi. Improves with time in the glass and water. Brings out the orange. 

Finish: Not too woody. Malty and waxy. More citrus and some vanilla. Whipped cream. More mild earth and barnyard, and there’s that wasabi. It’s an odd combination. 

Conclusion: Whatever I expected, this was not it. I was prepared for fruit, honey, even wax. And I got some of those. The earth and spice, however, came as surprises. Wasabi is a note I’m pretty sure I’ve never used before, but it’s pretty close. Real wasabi, I should add, not the horseradish used as an imitation. A fascinating kind of dram, though not my favorite of the Rare Malts. Whiskery Turnip found it more to his taste.

Buy a bottle? Not gonna happen

Score: 83

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky. (Convalmore 36)
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1)
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Ledaig 13 Amontillado)
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Tomatin 18)
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Glen Scotia 15)
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Aultmore 12)
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Glenmorangie 10)
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Pulteney 12)
  • 0-49: Blech. (Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16)

Published by Raygun

I drank Scotch occasionally (mostly at family gatherings) for years, but started getting more interested after an introduction and tasting from a Scottish acquaintance. That led to buying my first bottle (Highland Park 12). Now 600+ spirits later, Scotch is still my first love, but I drink other whisky and dabble in brandy as well.

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