Dailuaine 9 Years Old 2013 Exploration Series (Claxton’s)

From the bottler Claxton's, a 9 year old Dailuaine, distilled in 2013, bottled at 50%. Dailuaine, whose name is Gaelic for the green vale, is a heavy, full bodied Speysider. The name is Gaelic for the green vale, after the hollow in which the distillery sits.

The spirit was run through the distillery's big copper stills, for a big, full Speyside spirit. First fill bourbon gave a fuller vanilla over the robust spirit. At an extractive age eugenol lends a clove note and lactones a coconut, the spirit rich, malty and full. Long ageing turns the fresh fruit towards dried fruit, fig, leather and a warm spice. It passed to DCL and Scottish Malt Distillers in the 1920s and was later modernised. A first fill sherry cask suits the robust spirit, dried fruit meeting the meaty weight. Its rich, robust malt has long been a backbone of the Johnnie Walker blends.

At a hearty 50% it carries real weight. Apple, dried fruit and a meaty edge, 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 Dailuaine, a backbone of the great blends.