Whisky: Daftmill 12 Year (2006), US Release

Country/Region: Scotland/Lowland

ABV: 46%

Cask: First Fill Bourbon Barrel

Age: 12 Year (Distilled Sept. 2006, Bottled 2019)

Nose: Orchard fruits, pastries, and tropical teases. Proceedings opened with a buffet of pears— Korean pears in the lead— followed by green apples, apple sauce, and a pear custard tart with a lovely buttery crust. Tropical vibes set in as an Almond Float came to mind— a local Chinese dessert with almond, lychee, mandarin orange, and guava fruit cocktail.  

Palate: Medium-bodied with orchard fruit, honey, and pastries. Notes of orchard fruits— pears and apples mostly, a few mandarin oranges, and an odd tangerine tossed in with honey, a mild creaminess, and a bit of spirited heat. Notes of malty bread dough and buttery pastries hung in the background. Faintly tropical on the back palate with guava candies and rambutan.

Finish:  Medium length with faint orchard fruits and mild astringency.

Score: 5

Mental Image: Family Orchard Gift Shop

Notes: Blind dates are always filled with the anxiety of the unknown— who is this other person, who will they think I am? Blind whisky samples are less intense but still involve a fair bit of awkwardness, especially when a dram tastes familiar, and you cannot place it. While this tasted familiar to me, I have never had a Daftmill before, so this was quite the blind first impression!

Though straightforward, I thought the fruit and mellow spirit were pleasant and brimming with orchard fruits on the nose and palate. Pear and apple took center stage while tantalizing hints of something more tropical poked out around the edges. Medium-bodied, though perhaps slightly on the lighter end of what I would think of as medium, the dram started with a pleasant oiliness that gradually faded toward a gentle astringency.

When blindly guessing, I thought this reminded me a bit of Clynelish on the palate, though the flavor profile brought Balvenie, Glendullan, and Glenfiddich to mind. I guessed a Glen Moray at 12 Years in a first fill ex-bourbon barrel and 56% abv despite all of that. My guess was not totally off! The age and cask were right on target, though the abv was very off— and of course, I had never had Daftmill before and did not even think to guess it!

Overall, I thought this was a pleasant whisky, even though orchard fruit profiles are not my favorite. I can see why the distillery has attracted a lot of attention, though I am not convinced about the whiskey's high price.