Dailuaine 16 years

About the Dailuaine 16 years

Dailuaine 16 years is a single malt Scotch whisky from Speyside, in the north-east of Scotland. The distillery sits in a hollow by the Carron Burn, and its name is Gaelic for the green vale. This bottling carries a 16 year age statement and comes at 43% ABV. It is part of the Flora & Fauna series, the range of official malts which first appeared in 1991. Colouring is added. Dailuaine was established in 1852 and grew fast. By 1889 it was the largest distillery in Speyside by capacity, and its kilns needed rebuilding. The owners brought in Charles Chree Doig, an architect from Elgin. On 3 May he sketched a capped chimney to pull smoke away from the drying barley. It worked, and it looked good. That design is the pagoda every Scotch distillery now wears. Sixteen years in cask have made this a gentle, sweet malt. Honey leads on the nose, warm and thick, with a soft grain sweetness behind it. The palate turns to vanilla, rounded and creamy, with a light oak edge holding it steady. There is real body here but no heat, which is what 43% gives you. The finish stays sweet and fades slowly. Pour it neat and let it open. What sets Dailuaine 16 years apart is simple. It is one of the few releases of this distillery as a single malt. The Flora & Fauna line exists for that reason, and this release has been part of it since 1991. Sixteen years and 43% put it at the softer, rounder end of Speyside. Nothing about it is loud, and that is the point. If you want the honeyed side of Speyside, start here.