Dailuaine 17 Years Old 1980 Finest (Hart Brothers)

A 17 year old Dailuaine from the bottler Hart Brothers, distilled in 1980, bottled at 43%. Dailuaine is a robust Speyside distillery at Carron, making a full bodied malt mostly for blends. Most of its make goes to blending, with a Flora and Fauna sixteen year old the regular single malt.

It was drawn off three wash and three spirit stills, building the heavy Dailuaine style. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, the oak quiet behind the meaty malt. At oxidative maturity aldehydes and esters lend dried fruit while ellagitannins add a drying, savoury grip. Maturation in the cool north east keeps the rich spirit balanced over the years. The full bodied make rewards a long, patient maturation in good wood. In 1889 it became the first distillery to use the pagoda roof, the Doig Ventilator designed by Charles Doig. The big stills give a heavy spirit that takes a long, sherried maturation in its stride.

At 43% it is smooth and honeyed. A robust, sherried maltiness, with a soft vanilla from the oak. The texture is full and rich, the fruit lifted by a meaty malt. A long, full finish carries a savoury depth. This is Dailuaine's heavy, meaty Speyside style.