For the Dolls 13yo

For the Dolls 13yo

Milroys of Soho
Single malt - Speyside
Golden, hints of copper 
54.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Yoghurt, malted grains, white pepper, lemon zest, sandalwood, cotton sheets. With water, pears, lemon zest, cotton sheets, sandalwood. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens slightly, loosens, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sour bitter. Malted grains, lemon zest, cotton sheets, peanuts, fresh cut grass, hints of yoghurt. With water, pears, malted grains, acetone, fresh cut grass. 
Finish: Medium. Molasses, yoghurt, white pepper, vanilla, pears. 

Comments: 

Bottled in support of trans rights. Quite lactic, with plenty of laundry smells and fresh lemons. Water brings out notes of pears and acetone, then it turns more herbal and grassy. Quite an interesting dram, rewards time and introspection.

Verdict:

I like this.

Dailuaine 2012

Dailuaine 2012

Firkin 49, The Firkin Whisky Co
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
48.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red grapes, white pepper, malted grains, strawberry jam, violets, cherries, starfruit. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, static, mouth coating, cool. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. White pepper, strawberry jam, sourdough bread, cherries, malted grains, cinnamon. 
Finish: Medium. Sourdough bread, ginseng, malted grains, cherries. 

Comments: 

Cask SC13A. Sweet and luscious, but with a big malty spine, just the way I like my whisky. It’s got a bit of a floral note on the nose that reminds me of certain Bowmores, but definitely not as intense.

Verdict:

I like this.

Dailuaine 24yo 1997/2022

Dailuaine 24yo 1997/2022

Vintage, Signatory
Single malt - Speyside
Amber gold
57.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Toffee, sandalwood, fresh baked bread, peaches, apple juice, honey. With water, fresh baked bread, raisins, honey, cedar. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, astringent, slippery, airy. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Apple juice, fresh baked bread, raisins, honey, white wine, vanilla, golden syrup. With water, black tea, cocoa nibs, raisins, cedar wood. 
Finish: Long. Black tea, white wine, fresh baked bread, vanilla, golden syrup. 

Comments: 

Cask 7764 + 7765. Sweet and honeyed, but also spiced. The ABV is rather high, and it takes water very well. Good cask, I’m not sure I can taste the distillate so much.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Dailuaine 14yo 2007/2021

Dailuaine 14yo 2007/2021

Cask Series, North Star Spirits 
Single malt - Speyside 
Dark gold
52.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Green tea, toast, white grapes, ink, vanilla, malted grains, watermelon rind. With water, malted grains, watermelon rind, toast, hints of leather. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, warm, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. White grapes, green tea, vanilla, dark chocolate, lemon zest, ink, hints of white pepper. With water, green tea, leather, watermelon rind, hints of ink. 
Finish: Medium. White pepper, lemon zest, green tea, watermelon rind. 

Comments: 

Quite a grassy Dailuaine. I don’t remember it being this light and herbal. Lots of spicy notes, as well as some leather and toast. Surprisingly feinty too.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Dailuaine 11yo 2007/2018

Dailuaine 11yo 2007/2018

Small Batch, James Eadie
Single malt - Speyside
Dark gold
54.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, lychees, vanilla, orange peel, strawberries, raisins. With water, fresh baked bread, marmalade, hints of hay. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, warm, thickens, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Cinnamon, orange peel, apple juice, honey, lychees, hints of black tea. With water, fresh baked bread, marmalade. 
Finish: Short. Black tea, red grapes, raisins, strawberries. 

Comments: 

Cask 310570, PX sherry finish. Very spicy and sweet, lots of lychees and other fruit, tapering to a tannic finish. Opens up with water, turns cereally, but very jammy. Excellent stuff.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 41.62 (Dailuaine 11 yo 2003/2014)

SMWS 41.62 (Dailuaine 11 yo 2003/2014)

2015, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Light gold
61.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Bananas, vanilla, lemon curd, oats, cream, pears, butter biscuits, hints of brown sugar.
Mouthfeel: Light  body, thickens, airy, slightly fizzy.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Bananas, oats, butter biscuits, lemon curd, dried cherries, freshly baked bread, hints of vanilla.
Finish: Medium. Dried cherries, butter biscuits, bananas, freshly baked bread.

Comments:

Very buttery, which manifests itself in all sorts of interesting notes. There's lemon curd, baked butter (in the form of butter biscuits, and maybe fresh buttered toast (the bread's certainly there). That overlays a lot of fruit and milky, creamy notes. Good whisky, though not spectacular.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 41.42 (Dailuaine 23 yo 1986/2010)

SMWS 41.42 (Dailuaine 23 yo 1986/2010)

2010, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Dark gold
57.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, ginger, rum, coffee, walnuts, butter, macadamias. With water, turns wilder, pears, magic marker.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, syrupy, mouth coating.
Tasting: Sweet. Ginger, raisins, molasses, coffee, macadamias, creme de marron, hints of roses. With water, sweeter, pears, peanuts, more roses.
Finish: Long. Rum, ginger, molasses, macadamias.

Comments:

Sweet and nutty, full of ginger flavour. With water, it blows wide open, turns wilder and harsher. The flavours become more obvious, coming to the front of the tongue, and also to the front of the nose. Really, really good whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Dailuaine 13 yo 1991/2005

Dailuaine 13 yo 1991/2005

Connoisseur's Choice, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Speyside
Yellow gold
43% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Raisins, lemons, orange peel, magic marker, brass polish, grass, hay, daisies.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, tingly, cool, thickens slightly.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Lemons, orange peel, honey, grass, hay, magic marker, brass polish, hops.
Finish: Medium. Cream, lemons, walnut skins, hops, honey.

Comments:

Rather bitter, and slightly tart. Set against that, there are many strong whiffs of sweet fruity flavours. An odd whisky, tingly and prickly on the tongue, yet cool and refreshing. No good with water, but yet tastes stronger than it actually is. A dram of many contradictions.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 41.34 (Dailuaine 14 yo 1992/2007)

SMWS 41.34 (Dailuaine 14 yo 1992/2007)

2007, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Orangey yellow
59.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Plums, peaches, lemon sweets, brine, honey, vanilla, hints of rose.
Mouthfeel: Light body, tingly, volatile, hot.
Tasting: Sweet. Honey, corn syrup, peaches, apples, rose, chillies, hints of lavender, hints of brine. With water, turns nutty - macadamias, walnuts.
Finish: Short. Peanuts, honey, cornflakes, peaches.

Comments:

Pretty good whisky, doesn't mess around - full on and strong. I felt like I had been whacked in the mouth and nose. Nice nutty flavours once a little water is dripped in.

Verdict:

I like this.

Dailuaine 25 yo 1974/2001

Dailuaine 25 yo 1974/2001

Connoisseur's Choice, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Speyside
Deep gold
40% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Rum, raisins, dark chocolate, magic marker, red wine, hints of pear, hints of peat, hints of ginger.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, static, a little astringent.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Peaches, pears, rum, raisins, dark chocolate, sea salt, peat.
Finish: Long. Toffee, pears, dark chocolate.

Comments:

Complex and multilayered. There's a savoury layer underpinning lots of fruity, sweet notes. If there's anything wrong with this, it's that the savoury layer is somewhat one-dimensional. The varied sweet flavours make up for this though.

Verdict:

I like this.

Dailuane 16 yo Flora & Fauna

Dailuaine 16 yo Flora & Fauna

Flora & Fauna, official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Biscuits, malt, cotton candy, bubble gum, rose, raspberry, burnt toast, toffee.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, static.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Sherry, toffee, steamed milk, raspberries, panettone, glace cherries.
Finish: Medium. Lemons, peanuts.

Comments:

Lots going on here. I actually thought that they had confused this bottle for the bottle of Clynelish sitting next to it. There's a big hit of toastiness that very much resembles Clynelish. It has a breadiness that Clynelish doesn't quite have though - that, and the milky toffee in the taste.

Verdict:

I like this.