PBMichiganWolverine
Daftmill 2006 Winter Batch Release (UK)
Single Malt — Lowlands, Scotland
Reviewed
February 20, 2019 (edited December 26, 2019)
I had just got to the point of firmly believing that all new distilleries quickly put out their gut puke first products at silly prices, with huge fanfare and marketing bullshit. Take for example the likes of Abhainn Dearg Eden Mill and Glasgow. Three year crap products at Macallan prices. These crap products are then flipped for double and triple in the secondary market. No one tastes them. They just flip them. Gone are the days that distilleries like Kilchoman ( which were considered new a decade ago) would put out really good 3 yr olds at affordable $70 prices. Until now. Daftmill is the newest Lowlander, but it does things differently. First off, it’s not a 3 yr old that’s been placed out as a newbie. It’s a 12 yr old. Also, it’s micro-local distillery. It grows and malts Chariot barley in its own farms. It also doesn’t do a round-the-clock distillation. Instead it’s a seasonal distillery, like the way distilleries were hundreds of years ago. It distills only in-between harvests. This makes the output pretty small, like a craft distillery. This release for example was distilled in winter 2006 and released in winter 2018. Out of all the Lowlanders I’ve had, this really takes the crown. First whiff is fruit baskets galore. Think strawberry shortcake. Oily and thick mouthfeel, more strawberries and peaches. Just really well made. Instead of rushing things through, they took their time and did things right. Only 1600 bottles are generally released each season, and prices affordably at $100 or so...but retailers are now charging well over $200, and secondary prices are insane. If you can find it for $100, it’s probably the best $100 single malt you’ll have. I got mine for $125 from TWE, but minutes later, was all sold out. 1600 bottles aren’t much and will go quickly. Don’t pay secondary market ( over $700), and anything $100-200 is all perspective.
125.0
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per
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@Rick_M @PBMichiganWolverine I think in general, no matter what it is, it is usually safe to say politics and [blank] don't mix. It's like mayonnaise as a drinks mixer.
@PBMichiganWolverine - yes, I agree and spoke up but was outvoted. Democracy in action. :)
@Rick_M that’s silly...golf and political views shouldn’t mix. Or for that matter any sports and politics. Just ask Kaepernick...never ends well
@1901- correction: 3 golf trips to the east coast of Scotland.
@1901 - We’ve done 2 golf trips to the east coast of Scotland and didn’t play Trump’s International in Aberdeen because 2 guys refused to play there. I regret not having played this great links course. This year’s group is smaller and apolitical. :)
@Rick_M I haven’t played any (I’m on the east coast) and the ones I recognise are very well regarded, especially the links. Ballybunion has hosted the Irish Open and Lahinch will this year. Interesting to see the POTUS course is on the list.
@1901- our itinerary includes the following courses: Dromoland Castle, Lahinch, Doonbeg, Ballybunnion Old Course, Ballybunnion Cashen Course, Sean Sibeal, Tralee Golf Club, Waterville, and Old Head. Any dogs in this schedule?
@LeeEvolved - I have a friend that swore he would never fly, and now he flies places where I wouldn’t go. Whenever I do something risky (like racing expensive automotives) I think about my Dad’s advice before he died: “What’s the worst that can happen? You die and only a few people give a shit.” I have total confidence that someday you will fly, and as your friend, I will be disappointed if you don’t do it stone sober. :)
@Rick_M just golf, or distilleries too? Your itinerary may already be set but I can recommend Druids Glen Golf Club if not.
@PBMichiganWolverine lol, but I still need those pesky things called roads- preferably the paved kind haha.
@Slainte-Mhath yeah I’ve heard of them. Hopefully it’s not too off the track from Ring Road—will definitely stop by
@LeeEvolved good thing you live in a huge continent connected to another huge continent. You can do an amazing road trip from Barrow, Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina 😊
@PBMichiganWolverine Don't forget to visit Eimverk distillery (Floki) just outside Reykjavík. The tour is free, the tasting is great and the provenance of their malt is amazing.
@PBMichiganWolverine - Iceland? Damn, that’s on my bucket list too. However, since I refuse to fly I guess I need to re-organize my list to only include North American destinations haha
@PBMichiganWolverine - only if it has fairways! :) actually, it’s something a few of us want to do but nothing formalized yet. This year’s golf trip is to Southern Ireland.
@Rick_M nice. Doing the Ring Road?
@PBMichiganWolverine - we might be headed there this summer as well. Midnight golf is popular up there. :)
@cascode this year is out. We just planned our summer vacation...Iceland.
@PBMichiganWolverine I'd bet if you contacted them and asked nicely they'd show you around and let you taste a dram or two. Probably cheaper to tack on a visit when in Scotland than pay outrageous prices to a middleman.
@Soba45 at some point the novelty will wear off, and folks won’t be forcing the prices higher
Nice review :-). Sounds like I'll be waiting a while b4 I can get my hands on a dram but I'll keep an eye out for it.
@PBMichiganWolverine Even the retail price is silly.
@Richard-ModernDrinking yeah, secondary prices are silly. I tried looking for another bottle, but seems hard to find now
@cascode damn, with only 2 releases /yr, it’ll be sold out or silly prices before we can get our hands on it
Daftmill is definitely in a different category from the other start-ups, given that it was willing to wait 12 years to release its first whisky. I tried it at the Whisky Show in London and was very impressed, though I’m happy to wait for the price to come down.
@SolanaRoots Last I heard they were doing two releases a year, in summer and winter. As it's a working farm they are busy with other chores in spring and autumn. The output is very small - less than 30k litres per annum, as I recall. Not yet had a chance to sample it so great to have this review @PBMichiganWolverine.
@SolanaRoots yeah it’s a seasonal release. I think 4 releases/year—spring, summer, autumn, winter. Keep an eye for the next one in spring—it’s really a great whisky.
@PBMichiganWolverine - Any idea if this will be an annual release? Saw the summer batch was the inaugural, followed by this winter release.
@SolanaRoots yeah, this was really a surprise in a positive way. I opened the bottle this weekend when some family were over, and it was finished all in one evening.
Excellent review @PBMichiganWolverine - had just been reading about this distillery a few weeks back and wondered if you and Lee and the crew had tried this in your quest to hit all the Scotland distilleries. Sounds amazing and a throwback to the working farms who also distilled whisky of yesteryear.