Review by: The Muskox
Daftmill is in a weird position as a distillery – they’re tiny, they’re sought-after, and their US importer massively jacks up the prices. Is all this fuss worth it? My first encounter with Daftmill had me singing its praises, but the second left me second-guessing. That second one was tasted blind, so you’re free to read into that what you will. This is another similar batch, also composed of whisky ex-bourbon casks. Let’s see how it is.
Distillery: Daftmill.
Bottler: Official bottling.
Region: Lowlands.
ABV: 46%.
Age: 12 years. Distilled in 2007. Bottled in 2020.
Cask type: A selection of first-fill bourbon barrels (casks #28-31, #34, and #36)
Price: N/A, sample.
Color: Pale gold. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: Soft and fruity. An icing sugar note floating on top. Soft flowers, sweet grass, and a little bubblegum. Banana, apples, plums, lemon meringue pie, white cherries, and Muscat grape. Nutty maltiness, like a seedy nut bread of some kind (man, I have a way with words), slathered in salted butter.
Palate: Thick, chewy texture. Soft malty sweetness on the arrival: Iced pound cake, Chelsea buns, and marzipan. Yellow apples, too. Very buttery in the middle, along with some custard and cooked sugar. Some fizzy ginger ale and tangerine. Scented and floral, with a bit of a guava note. Toasted sesame seeds.
Finish: Medium-long and syrupy sweet. Honey-glazed pastries. Subtle pineapple, orange zest. Lingering rich malt and sesame seeds.
Possible SMWS bottling name: “Fruit salad sandwich”
Conclusion: Straightforwardly delicious, and expectation-defying. In place of subtle fruit complexity on the palate, there was this fantastic dark bread note which was completely absent in the other batches I’ve tried. The mouthfeel is unexpectedly syrupy and decadent considering the bottling strength, and the finish is good and long too. It’s not as complex as that 2006 batch I tried, and it does have just a bit of youthful greenness on the nose. I was glad to find it different from the other two batches I’ve tried. Looks like I have to go try more Daftmill.
Final Score: 85.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 