Part of Murray McDavids incredible value Cask Craft series, this batch, possibly my favourite, pairs Dailuaine with nothing more than a Bourbon cask. Whilst the other bottlings have more robust casks interacting with robust spirit, this one has more grace. Dailuaine can show a wonderful, soft side akin to pastry and sweet cereals, and this is framed perfectly with a simple Bourbon cask.
Official Tasting Notes:
Character: Rich malt, green apple, custard pastry
Influence: vanilla, caramel, toasted fruits and banana
Dailuaine was founded in 1851 in Speyside. Dailuaine was the first distillery in Scotland to feature a pagoda roof, an architectural element that gained a lot of traction thereafter. Long fermentation, fast distillation and (historically) the use of stainless steel in their condensers, creates a heavy, meaty spirit that works incredibly well with sherry cask maturation.
Murray McDavid was founded in 1994 by former wine merchant and legend of the whisky industry, Mark Reynier, who named company after his grandparents Harriet Murray and Jock McDavid. Mark was subsequently joined by yet another whisky legend, Jim McEwan: you might recognise these names as part of the team that resuscitated the Bruichladdich distillery in 2000 and subsequently made it the powerhouse that it is today.
Mark’s former life as a wine merchant gave him access to some incredible and unique casks and Murray McDavid quickly established a reputation for innovative and extraordinary cask maturations. Though Mark and Jim both have sinced moved on to other ventures, their ethos lives on through the brand’s slogan, celebrating “The Art of Maturation”. This commitment is made evident in the calibre of casks that they source globally; including bourbon and rye caks from Koval in Chicago, Sherry casks from Bodegas Ximenez-Spinola in Jerez and Port barriques from Caves de Murca in Portugal.
