Dailuaine 1997 Review



Country: Scotland 
Region: Highland - Speyside
Brand: Dailuaine 1997 (Van Wees - The Ultimate Series) 
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age:  15 Years
ABV: 46 %
Date: 24/04/2014

Colour: Light Golden

Nose: Floral, Earthy, Fruity and Grassy. I find Grasses, Straw, Earth, Dirt, Dried Herbs, Oak, Toast, Citrus, Toffee, Brown Sugar, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Sweet Licorice, Peach, Apple, Banana and a hint of Salted Meat. Have no idea where that comes from! The Alcohol is still around and not fully integrated.  

Palate: Eau de Vie (Poire), Grass, Licorice, Earth, Dirt, Dried Herbs, Malt, light Pepper, light Ginger, Citrus, Vanilla and Nut Shells.

Finish: Middle-Long and Bitter-Sweet with Oak, White Grapes, Almonds, Bitter Orange, Grass, light Pepper, light Cloves and light Licorice.  

I added a bit of Water and Malt and light Honey appear on the Nose. A bit of Marzipan on the Palate. You can certainly play with a bit of Water.

Rating: 83.5

Nose: 21 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 21


General Remarks: The Dailuaine 1997 I'm tasting today was distilled on the 1st of May 1997 and was bottled by Independent Bottler Van Wees on the 11th of January 2013. It matured in Hogshead # 6017, is Uncoloured and Not Chill-Filtered. It is sold at around 55 US Dollars.

The Dailuaine Distillery (Green Valley in Gaelic) was built in 1852 and is part of the Diageo Group since 1998. It has an annual production capacity of around 3.4 million litres of Alcohol. Most of the production is used in the Johnnie Walker Blends. Occasionally, casks are sold to Indie Bottlers like van Wees, located in Amersfoort, the Netherlands.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: Not the best Dailuaine I've tasted so far. But a fair Price/Quality ratio. I would have liked to see more Fruity tones in this 1997 expression. The way it is, the slightly dusty Bourbon Cask is a bit too dominant on the Palate and in the Finish. I wouldn't say "No" if a dram of this Dailuaine was offered to me but I wouldn't buy a full bottle either. If you like Dusty Eau de Vie (Pear), you might want to give this Dailuaine a try.

Jan van den Ende                                                                  April 2014

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