The 200th bottle reviewed!
One of my very favorite underdogs of the single malt universe: Speyside's Dailuaine, which has a wonderful juiciness about it, specifically a mouth-watering watermelon note that is hard to resist. So when I found this 7 year expression from Douglas Laing's independent bottler Old Particular, I didn't resist - I bought it right up. Matured in a single sherry butt for seven years, bottled at 48.4%, and in craft presentation. How is it??
Nose: Rich malt barley and sour fruit, together. The fruit tends to be tropical: sour mango, sour pineapple. With a little time to open up, the sour fruit coalesces into sour fruit candy: skittles, starburst, jolly ranchers. The malt barley remains as a backbone. This is mouth-watering. Interestingly, none of the nose reads as "single butt sherry matured." Maybe a case of exhausted cask meeting bold, fruity spirit?
Mouthfeel: Medium, silky, a little chewy.
Palate: Follows the nose and is VERY similar to the 12 year old Scotch Malt Whisky Society bottle I have open: malt, sour candy (same lineup as before, with the addition of the dusty Smarties candies), sour tropical fruits, some fragrant baking spices (cloves? cardamom? cinnamon?) at the end of the development. Wonderful. Not incredibly complex, but doesn't need to be. The base flavors of the spirit are really nice.
Finish: Fresh young oak, sour fruit, and a nice new strawberry soda note that fades in and out. Last a nice amount of time.
Verdict: Ah, Dailuaine. How I love you. I will be going back to the liquor store tomorrow and buying the other bottle of this they had on sale. Someday I want to try an older expression - say, 15 years? - and see how these vibrant fruit candy notes change with age. A wonderful Speyside, maybe the sweetest of the basic single malts (thanks to Rob Martin for this on-target assessment). Absolutely worth purchasing if you like Scotch and see this Old Particular bottle anywhere you are. Even if you don't like it - buy it, mail it to me. I'll pay you back.
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