Review #414 - SMWS 41.127 'Mind That Big Ginger Fae' Moffat!' - Dailuaine 13 Year
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society loves to mature or finish their Dailuaine whiskies in sherry - that's the case here, before a twist. Instead of a finish in an Oloroso cask, the distillate was initially matured for 12 years in that Oloroso butt; for the last year, they moved the spirit to a virgin oak puncheon, specifically a heavy char #4 cask. It's quite unusual to finish in new oak after sherry, so our interest is already piqued.
After those 13 total years of maturation, this Dailuaine came out with a cask strength of 58.9% ABV, and there's no chill filtration used, so we should be getting a full-flavor dram. The distillation vintage is 2006, and it was bottled around 2019.
SMWS 41.127 'Mind That Big Ginger Fae' Moffat!' - Dailuaine 13 Year
Scotland/Speyside - Single Malt
Price: USD 105 (2019)
Age Statement: 13 Years
Strength: 58.9% ABV
Cask Makeup: Ex-Oloroso sherry butt, finished in a char #4 new oak puncheon
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; distilled July 14, 2006; 557 bottles
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times (once blind) over 2 months from a sample. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Oaky and deep, with some syrupy dark fruit up front - medicinal cherry, caramelized oranges. There are some baking spices like clove, nutmeg, and anise, and then the new oak hits: buttered toast, toasted oak, cinnamon rolls, and floral oak. More dark notes in the background: licorice, some juicy raisins.
Palate: A thick mouthfeel, full of dark, syrupy flavors: cherries, amaro, orange soda, wood smoke, and chocolate. Vanilla and cinnamon add baking notes, and there's still quite a bit of toasty oak... but the focus remains is on red fruits. Acai, pomegranate, strawberry, and strong grape flavors all mingle; this is quite cask-forward.
Finish: Drinks a bit like a cocktail now - such a wide array of flavor. Amaro adds bitterness, stewed red fruit adds sweetness, vanilla and brown sugar add a baking side. Oak is still strong; there's orange soda and even a yellow fruit medley adding to the complexity. Quite warming and oily, and in the aftertaste, some fizz and polished wood.
Final Note: Definitely a flavor bomb - punchy, with a lot of wood and wine notes. It's cask forward, not leaving a lot of that distillate flavor intact, but we like how intense this bottle was. A plethora of fruits and oak notes - each tasting, there was something new to dig into.
Value here was decent, at least for this older pricing model from the SMWS. If you can find a bottle like this at auction for a reasonable price, it could still be a good pickup; newer bottles with similar specs from the Society will likely be 50% or so more expensive.
Our Average Rating: 7.7 / 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: 6.50
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Dailuaine reviews:
Review #66 - SMWS 41.147 'Brooding Armchair Dram' - Dailuaine 15 Year
