As a cask comes to maturity, Finn curates sampling sessions in interesting and relaxing environments, with friends, whisky experts and trusted partners to discover the personality of each cask and gauge the experience each dram evokes.
All the best distillers pride themselves on crafting whisky with a distinctive flavour, which is determined by the water source, grain and barley, the peat and malting, and their distilling processes. High quality original spirit is integral to every cask we bottle.
The cask itself interacts with the whisky over time. The type of wood plays a big role, as do treatments such as the whiskies are aged in a variety of types of casks. The whiskies are aged in former sherry or bourbon casks, augmenting the cask influence. External conditions such as air temperature, pressure and humidity also interact with the cask producing a knock-on effect that makes the spirit inside unique.
Finn uses these factors to balance each FT whisky experience. He may sample a cask and decide to leave it on the rack, allowing age to further develop its personality. He might decide to re-rack a whisky in a new cask to add a finishing touch. Or, he might simply deem it ready. When Finn decides the flavour is perfectly balanced, it’s time to bottle the whisky.
Dailuaine has been a favourite single malt of our family for over 100 years. Delving into his orig- inal Order Book I discovered my 3x great grandfather Alexander Thomson purchasing casks of Dailuaine in 1903 for his blend. Today it is still highly sought after by whisky blenders across the country for its rich and nutty character, giving depth to the world’s most famous blends.
For me though, it is a distillery that shines through on its own and is fast becoming my favour- ite distillery for selecting single casks from. This is the first Dailuaine we have released from a first fill bourbon cask. The bourbon influence is obvious from the start - vanilla and cream soda aromas explode from the glass. On the palate, the nutty flavours from the spirit dance with the creamy influences from the wood.
At cask strength there is an oiliness and texture that make each sip have a velvety mouthfeel. With a touch of water the sweetness develops and those trademark vanilla notes that make bourbon cask whiskies so popular are revealed.
This is a whisky that reminds you why the use of the ex-bourbon cask is still the favoured type of maturation in the Scotch Whisky industry. A hidden gem of a distillery that deserves its mo- ment to shine, this single cask Dailuaine is proof that exquisite whisky can be created using the most traditional of methods.
Dailuaine has been a favourite single malt of our family for over 100 years. Delving into his orig- inal Order Book I discovered my 3x great grandfather Alexander Thomson purchasing casks of Dailuaine in 1903 for his blend. Today it is still highly sought after by whisky blenders across the country for its rich and nutty character, giving depth to the world’s most famous blends.
For me though, it is a distillery that shines through on its own and is fast becoming my favour- ite distillery for selecting single casks from. This is the first Dailuaine we have released from a first fill bourbon cask. The bourbon influence is obvious from the start - vanilla and cream soda aromas explode from the glass. On the palate, the nutty flavours from the spirit dance with the creamy influences from the wood.
At cask strength there is an oiliness and texture that make each sip have a velvety mouthfeel. With a touch of water the sweetness develops and those trademark vanilla notes that make bourbon cask whiskies so popular are revealed.
This is a whisky that reminds you why the use of the ex-bourbon cask is still the favoured type of maturation in the Scotch Whisky industry. A hidden gem of a distillery that deserves its mo- ment to shine, this single cask Dailuaine is proof that exquisite whisky can be created using the most traditional of methods.