Daftmill 2008 Winter Batch Release (non UK) / 46% ABV / $200
Tasted neat
Here we have a beautiful 12 year old Daftmill, the Winter Batch release of 2020, from entirely first-fill ex-bourbon barrels. Just 6,000 bottles released across the globe, and in Japan, they were snapped up within minutes of going on sale!
The back label has some lovely exposition, which I will include here:
Daftmill is a farm distillery. Owned and operated by the Cuthbert family, it only runs in the farm’s quiet periods; mid-summer and winter, sometimes producing as few as 100 casks per year. When not distilling, Francis Cuthbert looks after the estate, growing the malting barley used to make this Lowland whisky.
The barley variety Optic was grown in our South fields and harvested in the last week of August 2006. It was then stored on the farm to be malted in Alloa during the summer of 2007.
Twenty-three first fill ex bourbon barrels were used to make up this batch. They were filled between the 14th Feb 2008 and the 28th April 2008 before being left to mature in the upper level of warehouse no. 1.
- Color: deep copper (1.0)
- Nose: mixed nuts, lemonade shanty, white pear, and vanilla
- Taste: fresh cream, roast chestnuts, more vanilla, oak, marshmallow, and bubblegum
- Finish: medium, rich toffee and citrus zest
This is a little chalkier, more minerally than the astonishing 2007 vintage, but it’s a very easy drinker and delicious. Buy two because you will finish #1 faster than you might imagine.
Rating: 89/100
