Review by: The Muskox
On my seven-year-long journey through whisky (I’m really just getting started), I’ve noticed my palate and preferences change substantially. I started out enjoying very middle-of-the-road whiskies like Oban and Highland Park, and had a phobia of strong peat. Then came the sherry bombs, then I tried an Octomore and decided that peat was awesome. My latest preference (I won’t dare presume it’ll be the last) has been for old Speyside whisky, simply matured in ex-bourbon or refill wood. Here’s a classic example of that, from the famous Rare Malts series of bottlings… my first one of those, too.
Distillery: Dailuaine.
Bottler: Official bottling.
Region: Speyside.
ABV: 60.92%. Cask strength.
Age: 22 years. Distilled in 1973. Bottled in 1996.
Cask type: “Oak casks” (a vatting of a variety of cask types).
Price: N/A, sample.
Color: 1.3, Russet/Muscat. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: Very volatile – you feel that proof on your nose. Crisp sea salt above all else. Strongly mineral, almost a little industrial. Green fruit – crabapples, white grapes, banana peels, lime, and melon. Woody and herbal, licorice, wet mosses and grass. As it continues to rest in the glass, floral flavours emerge: cardamom and cherry blossoms.
Palate: Medium-thick texture. Arrives with tart and sweet citrus and orchard fruit, then into blisteringly dry chalk and salt. The development continues to savoury wood, paraffin wax, rock powder, charcoal, and lemon meringue. Rather nutty and earthy on the back end – almonds, walnuts, fired clay.
Some water takes the heat down and dials up the texture. Like drinking a terrarium. More licorice now, too.
Finish: Medium-long, still very mineral but juicier here. Lime candies, grapefruit peels, Granny Smiths. Hot desert stones. Anise and white pepper.
With water, a variety of greenery, citronella, grass, and succulents. Very grapefruity.
Possible SMWS bottling name: “Blasting across the alkali flats in a jet-powered lemonade stand”
Conclusion: Not what I expected, but I really enjoyed it anyways. It’s a level of drying minerals and chalk that I don’t think I’ve encountered before. It’s fresh and green and tart, not a balanced dram per se but the blast of flavour hits, if you’re into this kind of thing. The dribble of water is absolutely necessary here – taking away that ethanol sear greatly improves the dram. It’s not a phenomenal whisky at the end of the day, but I think it’s still a very good one.
Final Score: 86.
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 