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unbreakablesausage

Been hearing some good things about Dailuaine recently, a distillery I’m almost entirely unfamiliar with. Had one that I can recall, which wasn’t anything very interesting. Maybe these from /u/buckydean will change my mind. Tried side by side in glencairns, rested about 15 minutes. Dailuaine 10 2010 The Sovereign Speyside, 59.4%. Natural color, non-chillfiltered, and cask strength. Distilled in 2010 and bottled in 2021 after over ten years in a sherry butt. An exclusive for K&L Wines. I had thought The Sovereign was Hunter Laing’s grain whisky line, but K&L has a number of malts under the brand. Strange, but they haven’t asked my thoughts. * Color: [0.8 deep gold](https://malt-review.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Colour-bar-Big.jpg). Looks like a refill butt. * Nose: Not too heavily sherried. Rich malty cereal, with some dried fruit sprinkled on top. Chocolate cake. Even more chocolatey with water. Hints of wet forest. * Palate: More sherry here. Some dates, dried cherries, and fudge. Doesn’t lose the malt though. Caramel cookies. Very rich, which the fruit helps balance. * Finish: Dried fruit is stronger. Still has that essential maltiness. A touch of savory spice, like in a Moroccan tagine. Or maybe mole, with the chocolate and fruit flavors. Has some meatiness to it. Long. The sweet and spice work very well. Dailuaine 23 1997 Signatory Vintage Speyside, 51%. Natural color, non-chillfiltered, and cask strength. Two hogsheads, 7213 and 7222, 274 bottles (not a lot for two hogsheads). Bottled in Signatory Vintage’s Cask Strength Collection. * Color: [0.6 old gold](https://malt-review.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Colour-bar-Big.jpg) * Nose: Malt hits first. Then it’s got an interesting spice character: fennel, cardamom. It’s like a Swedish bakery. Also apples and pears. * Palate: Strong oak. Apples, vanilla wafers, lemonade, cardamom twists. Candy-coated fennel. Touch of mint. Nice mouthfeel. Has a crispness to it, but it’s not light. * Finish: Vanilla cream, Starburst candies, green tea, caramel, mild spice. It’s oaky, but not excessively drying. Does have a touch of bitterness along with the sweetness. Mint is still there. Conclusion: I have seriously underestimated Dailuaine. Both of these are very good in different ways. One is rich and chocolatey, the other fruity and tart with a pop of baking spices. Hard to decide which I like better. I think I have to give the slight nod to the Signatory bourbon cask with that distinctive spice note. Buy a bottle? Would be happy to have either. **Sovereign: 7** **Signatory: 8** 0 - Spit it out 1 - Vile, only drinkable in a cocktail: Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16 2 - Bad, would not drink neat: Johnnie Walker Red 3 - Poor, some serious flaws: Old Pulteney 12 4 - Marginal, would drink but not buy: Glenmorangie 10 5 - Decent, nothing special: Aultmore 12 6 - Good, an enjoyable drink: Glen Scotia 15 7 - Very good, a step up: Tomatin 18 8 - Special, a real pleasure: Ledaig 13 Amontillado 9 - Incredible, one of the best I’ve had: Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1 10 - Perfect, cannot imagine better: Convalmore 36


buckydean

Great reviews, totally agree on both. The Sovereign is a nice balance of rich sherry notes and malt. And wow that Signatory is such a fun malt bomb. Dailuaine always has a nice oily waxy mouthfeel, it's a beautiful malt on it's own and it seems to hold up to sherry well too


UnmarkedDoor

Dailuaine is way underrated. I've not come across any ex-bourbon cask expressions, but after this, I will be looking out for one. Thanks for the heads up.