Dailuaine 14 Years Old 2007 Cask #304331 (Adelphi)

From the Adelphi bottler, a 14 year old Dailuaine, distilled in 2007, from cask 304331, bottled at 54.1%, one of 573 bottles. Dailuaine, whose name is Gaelic for the green vale, is a heavy, full bodied Speysider. Most of its make goes to blending, with a Flora and Fauna sixteen year old the regular single malt.

Worked through the big stills for a meaty, malty spirit, for a big, full Speyside spirit. A Pedro Ximenez cask added raisin, date and a treacle sweetness. In integration lactones (coconut) and vanillin (vanilla) knit with the malt, fruit deepening to dried fruit. A first fill sherry cask suits the robust spirit, dried fruit meeting the meaty weight. The big stills give a heavy spirit that takes a long, sherried maturation in its stride. The full bodied make rewards a long, patient maturation in good wood. Single malt Dailuaine is rare as an official bottling, so most come from independents.

At a hearty 54.1% it carries real weight. Orchard fruit, malt and a warm spice, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. The mouthfeel is heavy, the fruit carried on a meaty, malty body. The finish is deep, rich and savoury. This is a rich, malty Speyside single malt.