Review #477 - SMWS 41.160 'What a Combination' - Dailuaine 12 Year
Dailuaine is known for being a relatively robust malt; when aged in ex-bourbon, it can display grassy, malty flavors. This single malt also takes well to a variety of wine casks, though - here's one example, bottled by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.
After spending 9 years or so in an ex-bourbon hogshead, the spirit in this cask was transferred for the rest of its maturation time into a first fill Rivesaltes wine barrique. While this is a less common cask type used in whisky aging, there are a few other occurrences - Bruichladdich, for example, is known for using these casks in some of their niche releases.
Rivesaltes is a category of sweet wine originating in France, specifically in the Pyrenees-Orientales and Aude departments - these are located in the South of France, sandwiched between Toulouse, the Mediterranean Sea, and the border with Spain. The wine is generally made with Grenache grapes - Noir, Blanc, and Gris - and comes in a variety of hues, ranging from rose to darker red. Because of that potential dark, sweet character, we're expecting some red fruits in our Dailuaine.
As usual, the SMWS has bottled this whisky at cask strength - 57.9% ABV in this case - and there's no chill filtration or added coloring.
SMWS 41.160 'What a Combination' - Dailuaine 12 Year
Scotland/Speyside - Single Malt
Price: USD 135 (2024)
Age Statement: 12 Years
Strength: 57.9% ABV
Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon hogshead, finished in a first fill ex-Rivesaltes barrique
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; distilled March 18, 2010; 258 bottles
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 4 times over 10 months; bottles at 100%, 80% (blind tasting), 60% (blind tasting), and 40% (blind tasting) fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Rich and sweet - lots of musty grape skins, blood orange, butterscotch, and syrupy wine. A huge range of fruits: acai, cranberry, and raspberry add red notes, but we also get purple fruit like prune, seedy raisin, and oversweet blackberry. The background holds soft malt and coconut, maybe a bit of walnut and caramel brittle.
Palate: The mouthfeel is medium-thick; very rich and syrupy, a total explosion of fruit: grapes, Luxardo cherry, raspberry, prune, raisin, blackberry. Dark and sweet, and we do get a subtle toasted oak influence which adds mild tannins and some caramel. Quite decadent, and quite warm with that strength.
Finish: Red and purple fruits are still dominant - raisin, blackberry, dark grapes, cherry licorice candies, berry-flavored gummy candies. There's a nice mix of sweet and acidic fruit, and we get soft tannins, like grape skin tannins in wine. It's a medium-long finish.
Final Note: This is extremely cask dominated - not particularly balanced, then, but it packs loads of flavor and is quite a bit of fun to taste. More red and purple fruit flavors than we can count, and while it generally leaned quite sweet, there are some acidic or tart flavors in the finish - a nice detail. The strength made sure this was quite warm and had good texture; overall, a great whisky.
Value is okay - SMWS bottles are often quite pricey. While this one was on the more reasonable end of their pricing scheme, it's still well over the $100 mark, and that doesn't take into account the annual membership pricing that's required to buy these directly.
Our Average Rating: 7.9 / 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: 6.14
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.
