Daftmill 15 Year Cask Str. 25ml Sample

Tasting Notes

Andrew's Tasting Note

Nose: soft, fruity, and nutty, with a lovely cheesy funk; window putty, parchment paper, and fresh cut spring flowers; macadamias, Starbusrt fruit candies, and sliced pear with a touch of crumbly blue cheese; quince paste and creamed honey; firm toasted oak and wood spices.

Palate: lush, fruity, and spicy, with a backbone of toasted oak and dry nutty tones; floral and honeyed, the oak is firm but balanced; on the fruit side of things, more Starburts, crisp pear, and honeydew melon; chewy malt, silky oils, and a flinty minerality; a touch more cheese, comte and a touch of Danish blue cheese.

Finish: light, fresh, and waxy with good length; more floral and fruity tones with honey, malt, and cheese.

Comment: this is another cracking good Daftmill; it is elegant, with nice layers, and a good balance; I haven't even mentioned the strength yet, dangerously drinkable at 55.7%!

Producer Tasting Note

Nose: there’s an immediate level of maturity present here. Typical Daftmill characteristics of grassy sweetness and orchard fruits have concentrated down into notes of barley sugars, light waxes, mineral oils and shoe polish. There’s also custard sweetness, green apple and some slightly farmy hints of cider. With water, the freshness breaks out very strongly. Lots of thick cereal tones, fresh butter, grass, hay and lemon verbena.

Palate: intricate malty sweetness, biscuity richness, lemon barley water, some green herbal teas, bergamot, lemon rind and olive oil. With water, once again it is about freshness, but here it shows as spearmint, pollens, flower nectars, vase water and grassy rapeseed oil.

Finish: medium and showing once again a soft, slightly dusty waxiness, gently warming peppery tones and soft notes of dried flowers and freshly milled grist.

89pts Angus @WhiskyFun

"A new 15 year old that hasn't quite been released yet, but will be out later this year I believe. Colour: bright straw. Nose: you do notice the extra few years, this one goes immediately to richer territories of shoe leather, polish, linseed oils and impressions of sauternes and custard. Given a little more time it begins to show a very precise honeyed note that feels like old mead mixed with flower honey. There's also a thready and rather delicate waxiness that runs throughout. Undeniably classy and pretty beautiful. With water: lovely, on clay, sunflower oil, face cream and sandalwood. Does what many of these Daftmill seem to do with water, become drier and more elegant. Mouth: unsurprisingly there's a clear voice from the wood here, but it's rather more peppery and spicy than anticipated, crumbled oatcakes, freshly churned butter, watercress and impressions of vegetable stock, aniseed and herbal tea. Feels like Daftmill drifting into new territory at this kind of age. With water: wonderfully peppery, softly oily and becoming very complex now with tiny mechanical and medicinal inflections. The wood never quite dominates the distillate, rather they bend quite nicely together. Finish: long, warming, glowing with soft waxes, dried herbs, various teas, vapour rubs, and dried flowers. Comments: superb, suggests that Daftmill still has interesting and slightly unexpected places to go with increasing age. Although, maybe we are reaching the limits of 1st fill wood with these batches perhaps? Anyway, this is a totally charming, rather soulful dram that you should try and drink some of. SGP: 651 - 89 points."