It’s not often that Daftmill becomes ‘actually’ available. And by that I mean that it’s not just for sale at Berry Bros. and Rudd in London, with £ 30-odd shipping costs and the additional requirement that you order over 200 quid worth of booze before they even consider shipping. And that was before Brexit.

Anyway, this one is available in the EU, or at least it was at the end of July. Now it still is but the price had increased by some € 50 in little under a month.

Daftmill then. One of the more rare currently-operational Lowlands distilleries that had the patience to wait for 12 years before they released their first bottling. Ever since they’ve released some more casks and bottlings, but always decently aged and sort-of prohibitively priced.

Sniff:
At first, I get a whiff of copper and iron. After that there are green apples, straw and grass. Some glue and even a whiff of petrol. Green, mossy tree bark and ginger.

Sip:
Quite sweet with vanilla. Brioche with whipped cream. Some straw, moss and oak. Quite sharp with sawdust and white pepper. More dry on a second sip.

Swallow:
The finish is a bit more like the nose. Less sweet, more grassy. More typically Lowlands.

Contrary to my previous experiences with Daftmill, this one is a little bit more middle-of-the-road. A bit more typical of Speyside whisky with a bourbon cask maturation, and therefore a little bit less ‘Lowlands’ in style. Therefore it’s still pretty tasty, but not truly great.

87/100

Available in various markets and secondary markets.