Dailuaine 15 Years Old 2006 Cask #HL 18824 (Old Malt Cask)

This Dailuaine was bottled by the independent Hunter Laing, a 15 year old, distilled in 2006, from cask HL 18824, bottled at 50%, one of 321 bottles. Dailuaine sits at Carron on the Spey, a big, sherried Speyside malt rarely seen on its own. Water comes from the Bailliemullich Burn, the spirit drawn off three wash and three spirit stills.

Distilled for the heavy, full bodied spirit Dailuaine is known for, giving the heavy, meaty spirit at its heart. A sherry cask wrapped the rich spirit in dried fruit and a nutty depth, a fine match for the heavy malt. Through oxidative maturity esters concentrate, fruit turning to dried fruit over a rich, malty body. The full bodied make rewards a long, patient maturation in good wood. The cool Speyside air gives a slow, even maturation, the heavy malt deepening. It had its own railway siding and a little locomotive, Dailuaine No.1, known as the Puggy.

Bottled at a cask strength 50%, it is rich. Baked fruit, fig and a savoury depth, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. It is robust and fruity, the full bodied spirit shining through. It finishes robust, malty and warm. This is one of Speyside's heavier single malts.