Small Batch Bottlers Scotland Dailuaine Tasting Notes

Small Batch Bottlers Scotland Dailuaine 2010(?) 10 year old 56%

Bourbon/ Dist: 2010(?) Btl: 2020/ Tasted Nov 2020

A lovely nose. Dense and malty, but full of almost tropical apricot, pear, pineapple and orange. Subtle creamy oak with time.

The palate is dense, herbal and malty with darker, less tropical fruit. Hints of coffee, chicory, dark spice and pine. Some creamy vanilla lightens the middle. Long and spicy with lingering malt and fruit.

A drop of water makes the nose flat and uninteresting. On the palate it emphasises the malt and coffee but the finish now has a herbal pot pourri-like character.

Lady of The Glen Dailuaine Tasting Notes

Lady of the Glen Dailuaine 2008 (12 year old) 56.7%

9 years Bourbon/ 3 years Pedro Ximinez Hogshead finish

Cask 300741/ Dist: Jan 2008 Btl: May 2020/ Tasted: Jul 2020

The nose displays some obvious PX character but it is balance by some dense malty, spirit character. Lightly herbal with late American oak notes.

The palate opens with the subtle winey PX dried fruit, treacle, malt biscuits and sweet spice. Like the nose the palate is balanced with the American oak coming through on the middle. Good intensity and spiciness. Long, dried fruit, treacle, malt and spice finish. In conclusion: It displays a lovely progression, opening with the sherry before moving into the American oak and finishing with the sherry.

James Eadie Dailuaine Tasting Notes

James Eadie Small Batch Dailuaine 2007 (8 year old) 46%

A vatting of 4 First Fill ASB. (312447-312450)

Dist: 2007 Btl: 2016/ Tasted: Jun 2018

Aromatic and malty with a lovely, fresh lime and gooseberry note jostling with the barley, toffee. marzipan and coffee. Lovely density to the aromas.

The palate is weightier and malty, but it’s a little flattened by the oak. Soft, subtly sweet spices and honey come through on the middle. A little short but the lime and gooseberry come through to freshen the finish.

James Eadie Small Batch Dailuaine 9 year old 46%

A vatting of 2 casks. One first fill ASB 350161 and one refill Bourbon Hogshead 310191

Dist: Multi-Vintage Btl: 2018/ Tasted: Jun 2018

A youthful nose with quite an alcohol prickle. Hints of honey, toffee, barley, grass and green citrus. With time it becomes slightly gristy with developing honey.

The palate is dense and honeyed with hints of toffee, flower pollen, grist and malt. A little masked, which is surprising, but the alcohol is a little intrusive. Lightly vanilla’d and gray finish.

A drop of water emphasises the honey and vanilla but makes the palate a bit watery, but like the nose emphasises the honey and vanilla.

James Eadie Single Cask Dailuaine 2007 (11year old) 54.3%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead 310570/ 6 months finishing in First Fill Pedro Ximinez

Dist: 2007 Btl: 2018/ Tasted: Nov 2018

Ok, so the nose doesn’t display a huge amount of distillery character, bar a bit of maltiness, but it does display a good balance between the American and European oak. Quite winey with blackcurrant/ cherry and hints of treacle, herbs and toasty oak. With time hints of tobacco leaf, cinnamon and sweet vanilla.

The palate opens with some subtle barley before the treacle and sweet, juicy dried black fruit and herbs appear. Slightly tannic and grippy on the middle with ginger and pepper. Slightly masked finish with lingering peppery spice and a touch of vanilla.

Water emphasises the toasty American oak on the nose, relegating the winey sherry to the background. More barley and marmalade orange notes now. The palate is still juicy and quite citric now. Like the nose the herbal rye-like American oak has come to the fore with the treacle notes pushed back. Long, balanced finish with dark chocolate, black fruit and spice.

Fable Whisky Dailuaine Tasting Notes

Fable Whisky ‘Moon’ Chapter 3 – Dailuaine 2008 (12 year old) 59.9%

Bourbon Hogshead 307147/ Dist: May 2008 Btl: May 2021/ Tasted: Dec 2021

The nose is raw, feinty and sulphured. To be honest it’s a bit of a mess! Hints of oily malt can be discerned and possibly some sweet fruit… But…..

The palate displays raw cereal and feints. Slightly oily and maybe there’s some fruit and toffee’d oak, but, damn it’s rough stuff! Short, masked finish with subtle notes of citrus and vanilla.

Water lessens the feints on the nose and brings out juicy orange/ satsuma fruit, it also emphasises the vanilla oak. The palate, however, is oily and watery with oily malty and cereal. Short, non-descript, cereally finish. In conclusion: Even though this is 12 years old, it’s not been aged in a very active cask and either needed to be left or re-racked.

Edition Spirits Dailuiane Tasting Notes

Edition Spirits ‘The First Editions’ Dailuaine 2007 (12 year old) 57.6%

Sherry/ Code: EDI0481/ HL16641

Dist: May 2007 Btl: 2019/ Tasted: July 2019

An intensely malty, treacly and herbal nose with a noticeable alcohol punch. The malt is quite fragrant with a touch of manuka honey, raisinated fruit, chocolate and gentle gingery spice.

Subtler on the treacle on the palate but still very malty and dark with walnut, manuka honey, rasinated fig, prune, sultana and grape. The sherry becomes increasingly dominant (if it wasn’t in the first place!) becoming very herbal on the middle. The finish is slightly masked with sweet dried fruit, malt and spice.

A drop of water brings out a delightful sugar coated orange note along with hits of lemon and lemon. Considerably fresher now. The palate is lighter in body too but still very malty. There’s more nuance with a touch of vanilla and barley. Long and remaining malty with lingering fleshy apricot and a little drying alcohol.

Cadenhead’s Dailuiane Tasting Notes

Cadenhead’s Authentic Collection Dailuaine 2004 (15 year old) 54.7%

Bourbon Hogshead/ Dist: 2004 Btl: Spring 2020/ Tasted: Aug 2021

The nose is surprisingly feinty given its age. Raw, oily barley with hints of tangerine and vanilla. Simple, a bit herbal, but mainly just raw.

The palate is oily and opens with the feints and burnt caramel. Hints of barley, white fruit and very subtle oak. Short, hot and continuing feinty with a subtle white liquorice and spice after-taste.

Water makes no change to the nose, maybe emphasising the feints? On the palate there is a touch more sweeter barley and white liquorice. Still short and raw. It really needed to be aged in a more active cask.

Global Whisky Ltd Dailuiane tasting Notes

Auld Goonsy’s Dailuaine 2009 (11 year old) 49%

Bourbon Hogshead 310721/ Dist: Jul 2009 Btl: 2021/ Tasted: Sept 2021

A full, robust and barley’d nose. Slightly meaty and showing plenty of distillery character. Hints of green apple, apricot and with time warm vanilla and sweet-ish wood spice.

The palate is full-bodied and barley’d with again a rich, meaty spirit character. Apricot, grist, subtle tannin, vanilla and malt notes follow. Long, with a sliver of mouth-watering citrus and finally a touch of wood spice. That’s a lovely mouthful.!

With water, not that it really needs it the nose is gristier and shows more barley and less green fruit and citrus. There is more oak on the palate now and the apricot and white fruit has a lovely fleshy feel. Slightly floral with dense honey and again, less citrus. Still spicy in the finish.

Auld Goonsy’s Dailuaine 2008 (12 year old) 57.6%

Sherry Butt 308909/ Dist: Jul 2008 Btl: 2021/ Tasted: Sept 2021

The nose is actually quite saty and ozoney with plenty of youthful cereal, burnt toffee and subtle meaty notes. Some homogenous sherry appears but the emphasis is on the burnt toast, marmite and yeast.

The palate opens with a sliver of citrus before the meaty, malty notes arrive, promptly followed by sherried dried fruit, coffee, toffee and tannin. Straightforward. Masked but spicy finish with vanilla, banana skin, apricot and golden syrup. Lolvey finish, but a dull start.

Water makes the nose, thick, bready and doughy and could be a dead ringer for Ben Nevis. That’s quite a transformation! Still cereally with a touch of lemon. The palate is also a la Ben Nevis. Maltier, less sherrried but still simple. Less interesting finish – malt and spice.

Dailuaine Distillery Tasting Notes

Dailuaine ‘Flora & Fauna’ 16 year old 43%

Tasted: Jan 2019

A dense, rich, malty and meaty nose with fleshy/ oily fruit and hints of orange peel, dried cherry, milk chocolate and subtle, slightly herbal oloroso. Pleasantly balanced by a subtle mineral edge.

The palate is full, rich, toffee’d, malty and meaty. Very smooth with plenty of polished and sweet sherried dried fruit and hints of milk chocolate. Like the nose a subtle mineral/ citrus edge emerges to balance. Long with the citrus/ mineral notes really kicking in. Lovely finish with malt and the slightly meaty spirit lingering with a touch of almost Cognac-esque oxidised fruit returning.

Mackillop’s Choice Dailuaine Tasting Notes

Mackillop’s Choice Dailuaine 1998 (19 year old) 57.7%

Bourbon Cask 9288/ Dist: Jun 1998 Btl: Sept 2017/ Tasted: Nov 2017

The nose is juicy, moist and malty with oat biscuits, fragrant oak and baked apple. Hints of dark honey emerge along with some subtle wood spice.

The palate is lusciously honeyed with baked fruit and malt. Multi-layered and mouth-filling with gentle, sweet vanilla, ginger and tart citrus. The finish is long and surprisingly quite salty with lingering grapefruit, malt and baked fruit.

Carn Mor Dailuaine Tasting Notes

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Dailuaine 2012 (5 year old) 46%

Bourbon Barrel/ Dist: 2012 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Aug 2017

A cereally and edgy nose with slightly OTT perfumed barley and white fruit. Lightly estery with pineapple, apricot and vanilla.

Fairly heavy and oily on the palate. Straightforward, cereally and barley’d with hints of honey and vanilla. Slightly perfumed middle (not as perfumed as the nose!)  and a good, citric finish with lingering barley.

Carn Mor Celebration of the Cask Dailuaine 1995 (22 year old) 56.6%

Bourbon Barrel 3062/ Dist: Aug 1995 Btl: Mar 2018/ Tasted: Mar 2018

A big, chunky, toasty, nutty oak nose with sweet corn-like notes and thick malt. With time it becomes quite herbal – thyme, coriander leaf, juniper and mint. It’s a bit of a brute!

The palate is surprisingly a little watery with a toasty oak, wood spice and rose petal marc-like spirit notes. Given the huge amount of oak character it unsurprisingly bitters quite quickly, combine that with the mouth-watering alcohol and it’s an intense, hot and intrusive finish. It feels like it’s breaking down or was never particularly integrated in the first place.

Water makes the nose less herbal but you can really smell the oak char! My assumptions were correct as the palate has unfortunately fallen over! It’s vague and watery with bitter oak and rose petal marc. raw and bitter finish.

Carn Mor Celebration of the Cask Dailuaine 1992 (24 year old) 53.7%

Bourbon Hogshead 3135/ Dist: 1992 Btl: 2016/ Tasted: May 2016

A very mature and lovely nose of dusty American oak with hints of grass, white liquorice, pear and herbal rye-like notes. Excellent balance and complexity with late hints of peach skin, vanilla and earthy spice.

Crisp white fruit with hints of honey, barley and sweet oak on the palate. Slightly herbal with developing dusty spices and citrus. Lovely citric intensity on the middle with hints of peach and rose petals. Long with a forceful dry spice finish, entwined with herbs and creamy, sweet vanilla oak.