Dailuaine 10 Years Old 2009 Cask #356855 (James Eadie)

From the revived blender James Eadie, a 10 year old Dailuaine, distilled in 2009, from cask 356855, bottled at 52.7%, one of 135 bottles. Dailuaine is a rich, meaty Speyside single malt from the banks of the Spey near Aberlour. Its big stills give a heavy, full bodied spirit that takes sherry wood especially well.

It was made in large copper stills for a rich, robust make, building the heavy Dailuaine style. A sherry cask wrapped the rich spirit in dried fruit and a nutty depth, a fine match for the heavy malt. In integration lactones (coconut) and vanillin (vanilla) knit with the malt, fruit deepening to dried fruit. Dailuaine's heavy, malty make is prized by blenders for the body it gives. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and coconut over the meaty malt. Maturation in the cool north east keeps the rich spirit balanced over the years.

At a hearty 52.7% it carries real weight. Dried fruit, malt and a rich, savoury depth, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. A baked fruit and a warm spice lift it. The finish is deep, rich and savoury. This is one of Speyside's heavier single malts.