Review by: dustbunna
Distillery: Dailuaine.
Bottler: Cadenhead’s.
Region: Speyside.
ABV: 51.7%. Cask strength.
Age: 14 years. Distilled in 2009. Bottled in 2023.
Cask type: 11 years in ex-bourbon followed by 3 years in an ex-Fino sherry cask.
Price: £50 GBP for 700mL.
Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Bottle open across approx. 7 months, notes taken leisurely across that period. Bold notes taken beneath the shoulder, regular-formatted notes taken further into the bottle past the halfway point, italicized notes taken towards the heel.
Nose: strawberry jam, salted caramel, broken twigs, ruby port, fresh baked bread, rose petals, orange zest, oiled wood.
Palate: thick body ~ strawberries in aged balsamic, wood spice, pepper, dried herbs in the background, a hint of charcuterie, a bit more of the balsamic bite, rose blossom water.
Finish: long ~ more orange zest, strawberries and balsamic, vanilla bean, molasses, cherry candy, more roses, a malty funk on the tail end.
Conclusion: I didn’t get a chance to try this Dailuaine before buying when I visited Cadenhead’s of London, but it did catch my eye while I was busy socking away 20cl bottles for the journey home. Given my love of the distillery and the atypical second maturation in a Fino cask, I had a sneaking suspicion that I would want more than 20cl of it. That was a good decision, even though it doesn’t have the dry, nutty, spicy qualities I expected from 3 years in Fino. Instead, this whisky amps up the strawberries in balsamic (which I’ve gotten before in sherried Dailuaine) and leans well into the floral side, with citruses and roses all over the place. It takes water extremely well, especially going into the second half of the bottle—shaving edges off the peppery or woody qualities, not really transforming flavors as much as bringing them out in relief. It’s very cask-forward, but to my palate the spirit really stands up to the power of the cask and they complement one another beautifully. Another winning Dailuaine for me, as well as another winning Fino cask, if an atypical one.
Final Score: 87.
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 