Dailuaine 11 Year (SMWS 41.132 "A Fragrant Paradise")

 

This is the second independent bottling of Dailuaine I've had lately, but it's far the superior one. This one is subtitled "A Fragrant Paradise" by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), and is aged for 11 years in a refill hogshead, no coloring, no filtering, and bottled at a very nice 57.2%. Dailuaine is a Speyside distillery that is little known but beginning to appear here and there in independent bottle form. And worth seeking out. 

Here are the official notes: 

Sipping rum from a coconut as whirls of cinnamon, nutmeg and custard washed over us, we relaxed like dark chocolate melting in the Caribbean sun. Divine dried fruits of figs, sultanas and raisins joined dark toffee and molasses with tangy marmalade on brown toast. A larger-than-life mouthfeel brought bundles of crystallised ginger and chewy toffee alongside spiced rum, honeycomb and chocolate brownies. Water caressed us with Chinese five spice on layers of blackberries, raspberries and blueberries as nutmeg dominated the character of an old spice cupboard. A rounded palate coupled dried orange skin, fresh figs and dates with more spice from cardamom and cinnamon just before an extensive finish ventured further into blackcurrant jam and plum pie with a burnt crust.

Let's dig in:

Nose: Aged rum, fragrant baking spices (particularly nutmeg and cloves), figs, black cherries, dark chocolate. A splash of water seems to favor the black cherries. 

Mouthfeel: Very silky.

Palate: Alcohol dominates without water - it reminds me strongly of  a bourbonized version of Aberlour Abunadh, where the sweep of alcohol transforms the palate in curious ways. Neat, a burst of watermelon and a hint of cardamom (!) are transformed into fresh cut grass, black pepper, and ginger root. With a splash of water, figs and dates come through with many spices. SMWS isn't lying, this is really a paradise of spice in some ways. 

Finish: A medium-short finish, there is a little toasted oak, a lot of the baking spices, and some macerated raspberries. A hint of smoke remains on your tongue at the end. 

Verdict: Lovely stuff. Full of flavor, highly fragrant, many spices combine at various points with other flavors to create a rather succulent dram. Worth seeking and exploring.