Dailuaine 10 Years Old 2011 Cask #CM284 (The House of MacDuff)

A Dailuaine of a 10 year old chosen by the bottler The House of MacDuff, distilled in 2011, from cask CM284, bottled at 59.8%, one of 284 bottles. Dailuaine is a robust Speyside distillery at Carron, making a full bodied malt mostly for blends. Water comes from the Bailliemullich Burn, the spirit drawn off three wash and three spirit stills.

Worked through the big stills for a meaty, malty spirit, building the heavy Dailuaine style. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, the oak quiet behind the meaty malt. Through integration spirit and wood marry, vanillin settling into vanilla as ethyl esters lend a riper orchard fruit over the meaty malt. A first fill sherry cask suits the robust spirit, dried fruit meeting the meaty weight. A fire in 1917 destroyed the maltings, and the distillery was rebuilt soon after. The full bodied make rewards a long, patient maturation in good wood.

At a natural 59.8% it is full and honeyed. Baked fruit, fig and a savoury depth, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A baked fruit and a warm spice lift it. A long, full finish carries a savoury depth. This is the rich, full bodied Speyside malt of Dailuaine.