Dailuaine 1997/2018 Signatory 20 year old Single Speyside Malt 46%

Filled in May 1997, emptied in February 2018. Twenty years and nine months in a warehouse where nobody was in a hurry — and a distillery few people know by name.

Please note: Wear to the tube and rust on the cap.

Expert description

Dailuaine 1997/2018 Signatory 20 years is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in two hogsheads and bottled at 46% without chill filtration and without added colouring.

The casks carry the numbers 7223 and 7224. Dailuaine sits at Carron in Speyside, was founded in 1852 and has throughout its history supplied malt for blends rather than for its own bottles. Signatory Vintage, founded in 1988 by Andrew Symington, is among the bottlers who systematically bring distilleries like this forward — and with twenty years in bourbon wood, Dailuaine's heavy, malted core stands clearly.

Tasting notes

Nose

Malt and baked apple first, then honey, vanilla and a dry nutty note from the many years in cask.

Palate

Full and malty. Cereal, honey and candied citrus, with a layer of spice and an oily texture the 46% carries well.

Finish

Long and dry, with malt, nuts and a mild oak warmth.

Specifications

Name: Dailuaine 1997/2018 Signatory 20 years Single Speyside Malt 46%
Distillery: Dailuaine
Bottler: Signatory Vintage
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 20 years
ABV: 46 %
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Hogsheads no. 7223 and 7224
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 21/05/1997
Bottled: 28/02/2018

Flavour profile

Malty · Honeyed · Nutty · Fruity · Dry

Investment potential

Medium. Twenty years in cask from a distillery with very few official bottlings. Dailuaine from the 1990s steadily gets harder to find as the casks are emptied.

Did you know?

In 1884 Dailuaine became the first Scottish distillery to get a pagoda roof over its kiln — the pointed cap that is today the very symbol of a whisky distillery. The architect Charles Doig drew it, and everyone else copied it afterwards.

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Frequently asked questions about Dailuaine 1997/2018 Signatory 20 years

Why do you rarely see Dailuaine?

Because almost the entire production goes into blends. The distillery has very few official bottlings, and it is independent bottlers such as Signatory that put the name on the shelves.

Does rust on the cap affect the whisky?

No. Rust on the capsule and wear on the tube do not affect the contents as long as the seal is intact. For a collector it can matter to value, but it cannot be tasted.

What do non-chill filtered and natural colour mean?

That the whisky has neither been chilled and filtered nor coloured with caramel. The texture is fuller, and the colour comes purely from the cask.

What does Dailuaine taste like?

Heavy and malty with good body — more weight than many other Speyside malts, which is exactly why it is used in blends. See the rest of the region in our Speyside Whisky.

Is twenty years a lot for a bourbon cask?

It is at the long end. American oak gives vanilla and coconut quickly, and after two decades the wood starts to show clearly — here without taking over.

Who are Signatory Vintage?

A Scottish independent bottling house founded in 1988 by Andrew Symington. They also own the Edradour distillery and are known for The Un-Chillfiltered Collection and Cask Strength Collection.