Dailuaine 11 Years Old 2011 Cask #800204 (Best Dram)

An 11 year old Dailuaine from the bottler Best Dram, distilled in 2011, from cask 800204, bottled at 58.4%, one of 217 bottles. Dailuaine is a full bodied Speyside malt of real depth, mostly bottled by independents. It had its own railway siding and a little locomotive, Dailuaine No.1, known as the Puggy.

It was run through the distillery's big copper stills, to build a robust, malty, sherry loving character. A sherry butt held it, the wood lending raisin, fig and walnut to the robust malt. By the integrating teens congeners fade and esters build, the rich, full bodied spirit growing rounder. The clean spirit shows the cask clearly, vanilla and fruit over a rich malt. Its big stills give a heavy, full bodied spirit that takes sherry wood especially well. A first fill sherry cask suits the robust spirit, dried fruit meeting the meaty weight.

At cask strength 58.4% it is full bodied. Dried fruit, malt and a rich, savoury depth, with a dry, nutty, almond edge from the cask. Dried fruit, malt and a savoury spice fill the middle. Dried fruit, malt and a savoury oak see out the finish. This is the robust, sherried malt of Carron.