A Dailuaine Quartet


July 3, 2024

A Dailuaine Quartet

A very old-school distillery, I have engravings from the time of its reconstruction at the end of the 19th century, they are magnificent. The distillery was called Dail-Uaine at the time, at least according to the drawings by the famous architect Charles C. Doig. It used to be the first distillery to sport a pagoda roof to ventilate the kiln.

Dailuaine 13 yo 2009 (46%, Van Wees, The Ultimate, bourbon hogsheads, casks #313945, 46, 50)

Colour: white wine. Nose: these typical greasy, paraffiny touches, over ripe apples, and pears. Some sunflower oil, broken branches, celeriac, and other root vegetables, and lastly, some barley sirup. Perhaps not the shiniest star ever but I like this fattish style, it’s probably a perfect filler. Mouth: the root vegetables are back, immediately. More celeriac, turnips, also radishes, plus some green apples and a touch of lemon. The paraffin oil remains there too. Finish: medium, very faintly fizzy, and gingery, but apples and oils have kept control. Some porridge and sourdough too. 46% remains a perfect bottling strength. Comments: a very textured, oily malt, as we knew it. It’s great to have it al natural.
SGP:461 - 84 points.

Another 2009…

Dailuaine 14 yo 2009/2024 (48.1%, James Eadie, 1st fill Malaga butt finish, cask #361937, 369 bottles)

A 34-month finish in Malaga. Let's dream it was PX seco under flor, they make splendid ones in Malaga. Remember, 34 months is still a finish, but from 36 months and 1 day, I think you can call it ‘maturation’. Colour: pale gold. Nose: I swear it smells like PX seco from Malaga. I adore it, much like many PX secos, which I find immensely superior to the sweeter versions. Damp earth, soft mustard, green walnuts, a drop of cider vinegar, tart apple juice, pepper, then the oily side of Dailuaine. The combination is perfect. Water isn’t necessary. Mouth: similar, mustard and walnuts, a bit of truffle oil (definitely not olive oil), clay, a touch of tobacco, cooked bell pepper, artichokes in oil... Finish: long, with a lovely bitterness. And a Picasso touch (Malaga, Picasso, got it?). Candied lemon in the aftertaste balances everything. Comments: let's say it, James Eadie are becoming quite annoying with their finishes that always work so well (full disclosure: I am jesting).
SGP:371 - 87 points.

Dailuaine 10 yo 2013/2023 (59%, Lady of the Glen, Tawny Port finish, cask # 302795, 272 bottles)

Two years in a Port cask, we’re off to hunt for red fruits... Colour: gold. No red fruits in sight. Nose: fair enough, it’s a bit winey, with some fresh wood, banana, muesli, sweet natural wine (Vin Doux Naturel), and cooking jam... All in all, it’s quite nice. With water: Turkish delights, rose liqueur, gewurztraminer, red pralines tarte... Mouth (neat): the fatty side is there, otherwise it’s a tad fizzy, with Fanta and 7up, and especially a Red Bull note. The drink that, according to the adverts, makes you do extreme things, like jumping from an upside-down helicopter. Almost. With water: strawberry syrup and a bit of tequila. We’re moving further away from malty territories, but it’s a lot of fun. Finish: same, more black pepper. Strawberries and pepper, a winning combo. Comments: very amusing. Frankly, right now, we all need a laugh and that’s why we’ll add a few points to our score.
SGP:731 - 82 points.

Dailuaine 11 yo 2011 (59.6%, Glen Castle SMWD, Taiwan, bourbon hogshead, cask #307371, 223 bottles)

It’s absolutely fascinating to find on the labels of Scottish whiskies, the cultures of each importing country. I think it’s quite easy to identify a bottling for Taiwan, Hong Kong, or China, for Japan, for France, for Germany… and maybe even for the Vatican. Ha. Remember, twenty or thirty years ago, everyone put tartans, bagpipes, thistles, Celtic crosses, or various deer heads. Colour: gold. Nose: oh, peat? It wouldn’t be impossible if the hogshead was ex-peated. Apart from that, you find lovely notes of fresh flowers, peony, wisteria, and especially those typical vegetable oils, sunflower, sesame... With water: no, the peat has gone, making way for vanilla cake, pear cake, fresh nougat, and a bit of hummus (chickpea and sesame). Mouth (neat): very good, fat, malty, and full of orange cake and praline. But it’s a bit strong... With water: pear juice, black nougat, touches of coffee, pink pepper, and black pepper. Finish: long and more peppery. A bit of ginger and an earthy note at the very end, and of course paraffin since it’s Dailuaine. Comments: a very fine young Dailuaine, with lovely pepper warming your soul and heart.
SGP:551 - 86 points.

By the way, I’ve discovered that some friends think that the higher the 'SGP', the better the whisky. No, not at all, it has nothing to do with it. You can have an '8' for 'P', meaning very peaty, and a disastrous whisky. Right, let’s finish this with an old one...

Dailuaine 40 yo 1983/2023 (54%, Wilson & Morgan, Barrel Selection, refill oloroso butt, cask #701, 297 bottles)

This is only half of the butt, the other half having been bottled a few years ago. Colour: full gold. Nose: it’s full of old rancio, leather, tobacco, aged ham, various fats, white truffle, roasted baby artichokes, porcini in oil… In short, it’s extremely Italian, which will surprise no one. Bakelite, engine oil, very nice sulphur notes, absolutely not a flaw in this context. Barbour grease (which, let’s agree, isn’t very Italian). With water: twelve tons of artichokes and twenty tons of aubergines, all baked to perfection. Mouth (neat): superb, just the right amount of sulphur, just the right amount of pepper, packed with nougat, turron and halva, cooked wines, dried figs, orange toffee, pipe tobacco… With water: quite sublime, very stylish, very distinctive, almost stubborn. Honey-roasted aubergines with figs, plus a bit of ash (from that famous pipe). Finish: long, very tertiary, but also secondary and even primary. In short, an old Dailuaine Matryoshka doll. Go figure... Tobacco, figs, and leather. Comments: delightful old Dailuaine. It’s brilliant that it has preserved its DNA after all these years.
SGP:572 - 92 points.

Next time you have some Dailuaine in your glass, you’ll notice, after finishing it, how much it coats the sides with a sort of oily and very fragrant residue. If you want to reuse the glass immediately, rinse it with sparkling water, which will remove the fatty molecules much better than still water. Ideally, use sparkling water first (definitely avoid Coca Cola), then discard or drink it, then rinse with still water. My tuppence.

Check the index of all Dailuaine we've tasted so far