So here it is! An impressive bottling by Silver Seal, matured for 37 years (!) in an ex-bourbon single cask. Dailuaine is owned by Diageo, and people doesn’t seem to talk that much about this distillery, based in the very heart of Speyside – this is maybe because it has never had a proper core range as a single malt, since the vast majority of its output (3,4 millions of litres per year) helps to build the blends of the Johnny Walker range. Let’s see if this dram will be as good in the glass as it promises reading its ID…
N: really open, almost dazing for the aromatic burden it carries: you can feel its age for sure, with a silky, compact note, made of crayons, dusty demerara sugar, warm wood… Spicy edges, herbal and citrusy too, between bergamot, tea leaves and tamarind. But this side, to be clear, plays as a sparring partner to a fruity sweetness of a monstruous intensity: ripe peaches and bananas; toffee and butter, shortcrust, with hints to malt. Jam croissants. We could go on and on with the most gluttonous suggestions…
P: starts quite stifled, with a light body and an absolute predominance of waxy notes and tannins. After a second though… the whole experience slips out from the hands of the unaware drinker: fruit literally explodes on the palate, and after the same notes we found on the nose, here come red fruits and coconut. Totally outstanding. A great toasted maltiness, and some pipe smoke too. Nuts and carobs.
F: made of rare intensity and complexity, it replicates all the hints found on the palate, maybe with some more wood smoke and generous aromatic herbs.
What more can you want from your Glencairn, frankly? This Dailuaine is silky, complex, intense, with a huge personality – and it’s still well alive after almost 40 years spent with the company of a cask that couldn’t stay silent. So balanced that it’s almost a miracle: 93/100.
Recommended soundtrack: Cocorosie – Gravediggress
