Dailuaine is one of those "Never heard of it" distilleries that I truly love, right up there with Ardmore and Linkwood. And, perhaps, Loch Lomond and Tomintoul. But Dailuaine is always exceedingly high quality. I've only ever seen independent bottlings of it - and this one is from indie bottler Single Cask Nation (created by the podcasters who made One Nation Under Whisky) will hopefully continue the trend. Single Cask Nation as a bottler has really blown up in recent years, and I see it constantly on Reddit.
Dailuaine is owned by Diageo, and was founded in 1852. The vast bulk of it goes straight into Johnnie Walker (bah). This bottle came from cask #312978 and was matured 9 years in a 1st fill bourbon barrel, bottled at 55.6% ABV. Let's dive right in!
Nose: The neck pour features an exquisite nose with my single favorite scent of all scotch: freshly cut grass. It's all over this - fresh grass, and light hay or straw. Malted barley. Rich, well-structured sweetness: aged vanilla beans. Delectable peach and apricot/nectarine notes - very juicy. Fresh orange zest, sweet-yet-tangy. Absolutely no alcohol tickle/pricking despite the high ABV. Adding water doesn't change the nose appreciably. Perhaps a touch more orange/tangerine.
On the fourth or fifth pour from the bottle, several days after the initial opening, I get a distinct whiff of dry, toasted nuts. Specifically - almonds, almost a marzipan type nuttiness. The grassiness and hay and so forth are still quite present underneath. There is also a faint stripe of some odd note that I find incredibly hard to define; at first I thought it was sulfur in the distillate, then I thought it was a vegetal note almost like celery (!).
The deeper in the bottle, the more that odd note emerged; I might even go as far as to call it "the dark side of grassy" - like rotten hay or damp grass clippings that have been sitting in a wet pile for a few days. It's the flip side of the neck pour's bright grass nose. Unsure what is going on there.
The only "cure" was letting the whisky sit and sit and sit some more. After a very long time in the open air, the strange note dissipated.
But then, after 2/3 of the bottle were gone, the note finally came into focus, all at once: it's incredibly dry oak. Like, fresh sawdust dry. It's clearly the same note as before, but now, at least, I recognize it as something I can put my finger firmly on. What's most interesting of all is that instead of a sort of off-note, like when I thought it was sulfur or vegetal, now I find that it integrates perfectly with the grassy, fruity richness of the Dailuaine spirit. What a ride that nose was...!
Mouthfeel: Creamy! Very very creamy.
Palate: The palate has a LOT of "zing" - it is as energetic as the nose is tranquil. There is a LOT of richness here, all of it active and complex, that it takes a while to pick through all the flavors I'm getting: malted barley, hot peppers, toasted oak, vanilla, more stone fruit, cereal grains, lemon and orange. Quite rich. The creamy mouthfeel enhances everything.
Adding water helps tame the zing a bit, and adds a lot of chocolate and some ginger to the barley, vanilla, grass, and stone fruit. Lovely. Equally good with or without water. Deep into the bottle, the sawdust/oak note pairs nicely with the bright fruit and malt.
Finish: Malt, oak, pepper, and vanilla. Fairly standard, but still pleasant, and lasts a long time. Hints of smoke pull the length out like taffy - very pleasant.
Verdict: A solid win for Single Cask Nation and Dailuaine here. This is a very good independent bottling - it really exemplifies the kind of flavor journey that IBs can offer. I definitely recommend it in the $75-100 range (or even less, if you're lucky).
This reminds me strongly of the Bruichladdich Bere Barley and Islay Barley series, and even a bit like the Classic Laddie. I found it here in DC for a bit under $100 - worth it, at that price. Full of lovely flavors from front to back, simultaneously delicate and robust. A powerhouse of sweet, farmy flavor.
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