Dailuaine 2007/2021 Wilson & Morgan 14 years old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 53.9%

In Gaelic, Dailuaine means green meadow, and the name fits the hollow by the Carron Burn where whisky has been made since 1852. Most of it quietly disappears into other people's blends. This time, an Italian whisky merchant pulled a couple of casks aside and sent them on a sweet detour via Andalusia.

Expert description

Dailuaine 14 year 2007 Wilson & Morgan is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in refill hogsheads, finished for 20 months in a 1st fill Pedro Ximénez sherry cask and bottled at cask strength, 53.9%. It was distilled in 2007, bottled in 2021, and only 529 bottles exist.

The bottle belongs to Wilson & Morgan's Barrel Selection, specifically the Cask Strength line, where the whisky goes from cask to bottle without being watered down. Fabio Rossi founded Wilson & Morgan in 1992 and the company is based in Treviso, Italy, though this release was bottled for them in Edinburgh. The cask numbers, 303877+881, are printed at the bottom of the front label.

Plenty of people have tasted Dailuaine without knowing it. The distillery belongs to Diageo, and the lion's share of its spirit goes into Johnnie Walker. For years, the official 16 year old in the Flora & Fauna series was about as close as you could get to a regular Single Malt Whisky from the place. The spirit is double distilled in six copper stills, and long fermentation paired with a brisk distillation gives a heavy, meaty, malty style built to handle long years in wood. The malt is unpeated, and the distillery stopped doing its own malting back in 1983.

Then there's the PX cask. You'd expect 20 months in wood that once held the sweetest sherry of them all to turn a whisky dark and sticky. Not here. After 14 years in refill hogsheads the spirit was still pale and floral, and the sherry shows up mostly as a winey edge, a touch of fruit on the nose and a dry, slightly astringent finish. Dailuaine does the rest of the talking, with cereal, flour and a whiff of the farmyard that no amount of PX sweetness could cover up.

Tasting notes

Nose

Surprisingly delicate for a Dailuaine. Springtime and flowering meadows, a spoonful of honey and just a faint trace of fruit and wine from the sherry cask.

Palate

This is where it wakes up. Big cereal and flour notes first, then something properly farmy. Wood shavings, wet leather and beeswax, before it swings back towards sweetness with tropical fruit and orange.

Finish

Drier with every sip. The winey astringency of the cask finally comes through, followed by lively spice and a mineral, almost stony note.

Specifications

Name: Dailuaine 2007/2021 Wilson & Morgan 14 year PX Sherry Finish
Distillery: Dailuaine
Bottler: Wilson & Morgan
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 14 years
ABV: 53.9%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Refill hogsheads, finished for 20 months in a 1st fill Pedro Ximénez sherry cask
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Double distilled
Distilled: 2007
Bottled: 2021
Number of bottles: 529
Edition: Barrel Selection Cask Strength, cask no. 303877+881
EAN no.: 8033749408808

Flavour profile

Floral · Malty · Sherry finished · Tropical fruit · Dry · Spicy

Did you know?

Dailuaine is where architect Charles Doig built his very first pagoda roof, over the distillery's malt kiln in 1889. The shape caught on fast and has since become almost a logo for the Scottish whisky distillery. Doig's original roof burned down in 1917.

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Frequently asked questions about Dailuaine 14 year 2007 Wilson & Morgan

What does Dailuaine 14 year from Wilson & Morgan taste like?

It opens gently and floral, then gets a lot bolder on the palate. The nose brings meadow flowers and honey, the palate moves from cereal, flour, leather and beeswax to tropical fruit and orange, and the finish is dry and spicy. It changes as it sits, so give it a few minutes in the glass.

What does PX Sherry Finish on the label mean?

It means the whisky spent its final 20 months in a cask that previously held Pedro Ximénez sherry. PX is the dark, sweet sherry from Andalusia, and it usually brings raisins and figs to a whisky. Here the effect is surprisingly restrained, more of a winey edge and a dry grip on the finish than a full-on sherry bomb.

Is this a rare bottle?

Yes, only 529 bottles were produced. It's a one-off release from Wilson & Morgan, so once it's gone from the shelves it won't come back in this form. Dailuaine from a PX cask is also an unusual sight in general.

Should you add water to a whisky at 53.9%?

Try it neat first, then add a few drops of water. At cask strength the alcohol can mask the delicate floral notes on the nose, and a little water tends to bring out the honey and fruit. Use a tulip-shaped whisky glass to concentrate the aromas, and skip the ice, which only dulls them.

What food goes with it?

Anything with orange, or a well-aged cheese. The dry, spicy finish and the notes of orange and tropical fruit work nicely with dark chocolate and orange or a hard, nutty cheese. The grainy, slightly farmy side of the palate can also stand up to smoked ham.

Who are Wilson & Morgan?

Wilson & Morgan is an Italian independent bottler founded by Fabio Rossi in 1992. The company buys individual casks from Scottish distilleries and bottles them under its own name, often from distilleries rarely seen as Single Malt Whisky. Rossi & Rossi in Treviso is listed as the responsible company on the back label. Read more in our blog post about Wilson & Morgan.

Why is Dailuaine so rarely seen as a Single Malt Whisky?

Because the distillery mainly makes whisky for blending. Dailuaine is owned by Diageo, and most of its output goes into Johnnie Walker. That leaves independent bottlers to show what the distillery tastes like at other ages and from other cask types. The distillery sits at Carron near Aberlour and got its own railway branch line from Carron station as early as 1863.