Dailuaine 12 Years Old 2011 Cask #800471 (A.D. Rattray)

A 12 year old Dailuaine from A.D. Rattray, distilled in 2011, from cask 800471, bottled at 57.3%, one of 241 bottles. Dailuaine is a rich, meaty Speyside single malt from the banks of the Spey near Aberlour. The name is Gaelic for the green vale, after the hollow in which the distillery sits.

It was distilled for the heavy, full bodied spirit Dailuaine is known for, for a rich, meaty make that suits sherry wood. First fill bourbon gave a fuller vanilla over the robust spirit. By the integrating teens congeners fade and esters build, the rich, full bodied spirit growing rounder. Maturation in the cool north east keeps the rich spirit balanced over the years. Years in oak round the spirit, the fruit deepening to dried fruit and a savoury spice. It passed to DCL and Scottish Malt Distillers in the 1920s and was later modernised. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and coconut over the meaty malt.

At cask strength 57.3% it is full bodied. Orchard fruit, malt and a warm spice, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A dried fruit and a malty depth give it weight. The finish is deep, rich and savoury. This is a full bodied Speyside single malt of real depth.