Whisky : Dailuainie 11 Year SMWS 41.132 “A fragrance paradise”

Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside

ABV : 57.2%

Cask : Refill Ex-Bourbon

Age : 11 Year (Distilled 10 June 2008)

Nose : Cream, caramel, and fruit.  Thick and tangy cream cheese frosting, butterscotch candies, cheese cake, and waxy honeycomb.  Faint spice emerged like a gingerbread house buried under an avalanche of frosting.  Water brought more fruit forward with green apples, lemon, and passion fruit.

Palate : Medium to thick body, very oily and waxy with cream, wood, and spice.  Buttercream frosting, cheese cake, and waxy vanilla fondant led the way.  A woody tannic astringency built over time, but never became overpowering.  On the back end were notes of pepper, dark chocolate, and tobacco leaf.  

Finish : Long and lingering— herbal and sugary, with a slight roastiness.

Score : 6

Mental Image : Gingerbread Suburbia

Notes : A romping and full-bodied Dailuaine, this was my first time trying the distillery.  This was not at all what I expected from a bottle named “fragrant paradise.”  I assumed it would be mellow and full of tropical florals— but no, that was not the case at all.  The nose was chock full of tangy cream and sweet butterscotch, while the palate went in an entirely different direction with waxy vanilla fondant and a strikingly dry and herbal finish.  

I absolutely loved the palate on this (though I hate fondant)— it was thick and viscous with a great transition between sweet and herbal-roasty flavors.  I did not care for the aroma, I am neither a huge fan of big butterscotch nor the impression of tons of creamy frosting.  It was pretty wild how different the palate and nose were on this.

Overall, this was pretty popular during a recent virtual tasting.  For most tasters it fell somewhere in the middle of the pack or just in the top half of drams.