Dailuaine 13 Years Old 2008 Cask #2 (Hart Brothers)

The bottler Hart Brothers bottled this Dailuaine, a 13 year old, distilled in 2008, from cask 2, bottled at 54.1%. Dailuaine sits at Carron on the Spey, a big, sherried Speyside malt rarely seen on its own. Its rich, robust malt has long been a backbone of the Johnnie Walker blends.

The spirit was run through the distillery's big copper stills, for a rich, meaty make that suits sherry wood. A Moscatel cask added grape, honey and a floral lift. Integration folds eugenol (clove) and vanillin (vanilla) into the malt, the heavy body fuller and richer. Most Dailuaine goes quietly into blends, a robust filler kept in part as single malt. The big stills give a heavy spirit that takes a long, sherried maturation in its stride. Dailuaine's heavy, malty make is prized by blenders for the body it gives. It passed to DCL and Scottish Malt Distillers in the 1920s and was later modernised.

At a natural 54.1% it is full and honeyed. Dried fruit, malt and a rich, savoury depth, with plum, red berry and chocolate from the cask. A baked fruit and a warm spice lift it. The finish is long, rich and savoury. This is a rich, dried fruit laden Speyside single malt.