Dailuaine 16 Year Old

"Dailuaine has spent its life quietly toiling away, making whisky to go into some of the world’s best loved Scotches, and it wasn’t until 1991 that it finally got its moment in the limelight, with the first ever Dailuaine officially bottled as a single malt, which also just happened to be a 16 year old for the Flora & Fauna series.

Launched in 1991, the “Flora & Fauna” series (a nickname given to the releases by famous whisky writer Michael Jackson, after the different local plants and animals on each label) served to give each of United Distillers’ (now Diageo’s) workhorse distilleries a turn in the spotlight, giving whisky enthusiasts rare glimpses of what the distillery can create, and the individual building blocks of the blends. Back in 1991 there were some 22 featured distilleries, but today this number is down to just 11 as distilleries have been closed, sold, or had their own single malt range released.

Dailuaine uses an interesting methodology when brewing and distilling. The fermentation is long and slow, but the distillation is fast, and the condensers on the stills use stainless steel which cuts down on the copper contact – this in particular is rather unusual. It sure works though, the resulting new make coming out ‘meaty’, which when matured in ex-Sherry casks for 16 years, results in a deliciously rich and sweet whisky.

A real shame, then, that Dailuaine is so hard to come by, especially here in Australia… but good news for Club Members as we’re in for a real treat this month. If you’re a fan of Aberlour, Glenrothes and Macallan, then you’re going to love this; heavy, incredibly complex, fruity, and substantially oily, with chocolate orange, berries and Christmas cake by the pound!"

https://thewhiskyclub.com.au/our-whiskies/dailuaine-flora-fauna-16-year-old-single-malt-whisky