Dailuaine, 1997-2009, The Managers' Choice, Single Cask Selection, Cask No. 8476, 153/564, 58.6% abv.

This Dailuaine is matured in a "bodega sherry european oak" cask and bottled as part of The Manager's Choice. Dailuaine doesn't seem to have much drama over the years, but it did team up with Talisker once upon a time. The more interesting aspect is The Manager's Choice series. Diageo started this series in 2009 (they were already well established in their Annual Special Releases by then) with a theme of showcasing the best in each of their 27 distilleries by having experts and managers select the representative casks. Note the presence of a badger on the label. I think it's a nod to the Dailuaine 16 from Diageo's previous Flora & Fauna series, almost random.

Nose: light turpentine, very chemical-like (hard to describe), wax, black pepper spice, basically a mix of seasoning spice and chemicals.

Palate: spice, chemical-like, a lot of coconuts.

Finish: medium to long, fried toast, after a few sips its mostly honey and wood, coconut flavors dissipate.

Even though the abv is 58.9%, it feels much higher. A very interesting drink with a combination of unlikely components... which helped me understand the connection between coconut and toast; that they are similar and that toast is another descriptor for vanilla. Very rich and full bodied. Had this at Macallan Whisky Bar and Lounge, Macau.

Grade: B-

Whiskyfun.com, Serge, sgp:651, 85 points
Malt maniacs, 87 points from 4 reviews

Image courtesy of Eric Yee.

Eric Yee

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