Review #177 - Daftmill 2009 11 Year Summer Batch Release
Daftmill, one of the smallest, yet most sought-after, distilleries in Scotland - it's a Lowland whisky, located near Fife. They began operations on their whisky business in 2005, though the family had owned the farm for some time before that - since 1984, in fact.
In an uncommon move for modern new distilleries, they did not sell any product in the first few years to ensure some cash flow; instead, they waited until they were comfortable that the whisky was truly 'ready,' releasing their first batch in 2018 with a 12 year age statement.
Like many new-age distilleries, though, we get tons of information about the production of this whisky - Daftmill has been very transparent. The barley used is of the Optic variety (all grown on the distillery's estate), and it was harvested in August 2006, before malting during the summer of 2007; interestingly, it then sat for almost 2 years before distillation occurred in June and July of 2009.
These Daftmill whiskies are generally produced in very small batches - this specific batch, made for the United States, consisted of just 5 casks: four ex-bourbon barrels, as well as one first-fill sherry butt. There's no added color or chill filtration, as is customary with Daftmill - they're focused on presenting the highest quality whisky possible.
Daftmill 2009 11 Year Summer Batch Release
Scotland/Lowlands - Single Malt
Price Paid: USD 235 (2022)
Current Locally Available Price: USD 235 (2023)
Age Statement: 11 Years
Strength: 46% ABV
Cask Makeup: 4 ex-bourbon barrels, 1 first fill ex-sherry butt
Details: 2009 vintage; 1,680 bottles; Optic barley variety
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 5 times over 3 months; bottles at 100%, 90% (blind tasting), 80% (blind tasting), 70%, and 60% (blind tasting) fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Fruity and malty - there's a decent amount of orange, along with some golden apple and darker dried fruits. Plenty of malt, which transitions toward chocolate and some other baking notes: white pepper, soft honey, butterscotch, and a hint of licorice. Moderate complexity, and later, some sharper spirit scents.
Palate: The mouthfeel is medium, and we find mostly baking spices and orchard fruits. Dry vanilla, cinnamon, brown sugar, and peppercorns... slightly sweet overall, and then some chocolate and demerara sugar. The fruits are poached pear, orange marmalade, and prunes; the texture is creamy, and there's a fizzy element later on, like spearmint, as we transition toward the finish.
Finish: Medium length, and it's all malt and baking spice now: pepper, anise, barrel spice, brown sugar syrup, and cinnamon. The malt sometimes turned slightly sour, and there's more oak in this finish; in the aftertaste, tiny hints of lemon and pear.
Final Note: Decent whisky - this is a solid malt, if a little unexceptional in any way. Plenty of baking spices and maltiness, and some fruits as well, but none of the flavors were too strong. Rounded and somewhat well balanced, but the trick here is the value.
Of course, because of the demand for these bottles, along with the very limited supply, prices are going to be higher than we would like. They aren't cheap coming from the distillery, but once this gets through the import and distribution process in the US, quite a premium has been added on. Not the greatest value score, then - this is a bottle for those with some extra money to spend, and an interest in exploring hard-to-find distilleries.
Our Average Rating: 6.8 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 4.38
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