Dailuaine 1997/2022 Signatory 24 year old Single Speyside Malt Whisky 47,4%

Distilled on the same day as its four-year-younger sister, but these casks were left standing. Four extra years in hogsheads sounds like little — in the glass the difference is obvious.

Expert description

Dailuaine 1997/2022 Signatory 24 years is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in two hogsheads and bottled at 47.4% without chill filtration and without added colouring.

The casks are numbered 7227 and 7235, were filled on 21 May 1997 and emptied on 20 January 2022. The outturn was 369 bottles. The release belongs to Signatory's Cask Strength Collection, where the whisky goes into bottle at the strength the cask delivers. Dailuaine is one of those distilleries where almost the entire production disappears into blends, and twenty-four year old bottlings exist essentially only through independent bottlers.

Tasting notes

Nose

Ripe apples, pears and quince, with vanilla, malt and a mild spiced oak behind.

Palate

Silky with well-integrated alcohol. Sweetness and freshness first, then vanilla, malt and spiced oak, in a balanced and elegant mouthfeel.

Finish

Dry and harmonious, with the complexity and maturity stepping forward at the close.

Specifications

Name: Dailuaine 1997/2022 Signatory Vintage 24 years Single Speyside Malt Whisky 47,4%
Distillery: Dailuaine
Bottler: Signatory Vintage
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 24 years
ABV: 47.4%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Hogsheads no. 7227 and 7235
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 21/05/1997
Bottled: 20/01/2022
Number of bottles: 369
Edition: Cask Strength Collection

Flavour profile

Fruity · Malty · Vanilla · Spiced · Elegant

Investment potential

High. Twenty-four years in cask, 369 bottles and a distillery whose own bottlings barely exist. Old Dailuaine is increasingly traded among collectors.

Did you know?

Quince is a fruit you rarely meet in modern whisky, but it turns up in old Speyside malts from bourbon wood. It sits somewhere between apple and pear, and it is often a sign of a cask that has been allowed to work long and quietly.

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Frequently asked questions about Dailuaine 1997/2022 Signatory 24 years

What is the Cask Strength Collection?

Signatory's range where the whisky is bottled at the strength the cask gives, without dilution. Here that means 47.4% — after twenty-four years much of the alcohol has evaporated along the way.

Why is the strength only 47.4 percent after so many years?

Because the cask released alcohol throughout maturation. In damp Scottish warehouses alcohol evaporates faster than water, so the strength falls year by year.

How many bottles exist?

The two hogsheads together gave 369 bottles. Once they are gone no more will come from those particular casks.

How does it differ from the 20 year old from the same day?

Four extra years in cask give more oak, more spice and rounder fruit. The underlying character is the same, but the older one is noticeably more restrained and elegant.

Should I add water?

At 47.4% the balance is good as it is. A couple of drops can lift the apple and pear, but move carefully — after that many years the fine notes are also the most fragile.

What defines Speyside whisky?

Fruit, malt and soft sweetness rather than smoke. Dailuaine sits at the heavier end of the region. See the full spread in our Speyside Whisky.