Dailuaine 12 Years Old 1997 Cask #4231 (Signatory)

This Dailuaine was bottled by the Pitlochry bottler Signatory Vintage, a 12 year old, distilled in 1997, from cask 4231, bottled at 46%, one of 384 bottles. Dailuaine is a robust Speyside distillery at Carron, making a full bodied malt mostly for blends. It had its own railway siding and a little locomotive, Dailuaine No.1, known as the Puggy.

It was distilled in large conical necked stills on Bailliemullich Burn water, to build a robust, malty, sherry loving character. 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. The slow loss of the angel's share concentrates the rich, malty core over the years. A first fill sherry cask suits the robust spirit, dried fruit meeting the meaty weight. It sits near Aberlour, in the heart of Speyside by the River Spey.

At 46% it is gentle, sweet and fruity. A heavy, malty fruitiness, with a soft vanilla from the oak. The texture is full and rich, the fruit lifted by a meaty malt. The finish is long, rich and savoury. This is the robust, sherried malt of Carron.