Dailuaine 30 Years Old 1988 (SMWS 41.118)

A Dailuaine of a 30 year old chosen by the bottler Scotch Malt Whisky Society, distilled in 1988, from cask 41.118, bottled at 49.2%, one of 244 bottles. Dailuaine, founded in 1852, gave Scotch its first pagoda roofed kiln. The name is Gaelic for the green vale, after the hollow in which the distillery sits.

It was run through the distillery's big copper stills, giving the heavy, meaty spirit at its heart. Ex-Sherry wood added a deep dried fruit richness to the full bodied malt. Ethereal and old, decades draw the malt to a rich, waxy depth of sotolon, old oak and dried fruit. The full bodied make rewards a long, patient maturation in good wood. The big stills give a heavy spirit that takes a long, sherried maturation in its stride. Most of its make goes to blending, with a Flora and Fauna sixteen year old the regular single malt.

At 49.2%, undiluted, it is deep and fruity. Malt, dried fruit and a rich spice, with raisin, date and treacle from the cask. Dried fruit, malt and a savoury spice fill the middle. A full, malty finish ends on dried fruit and a warm spice. This is a full bodied Speyside single malt of real depth.