Dailuaine

Dailuaine distillery stands between the River Spey and the foot of Ben Rinnes, the tallest peak in Speyside. Pronounced dal-yoo-an, the name means "green vale" in Gaelic.

The distillery was established in 1852 but today it is owned by spirits giant, Diageo. Much of the spirit it produces goes into the owner's various blended Scotch brands.   

The distillery produces a medium-bodied, fruity and malty whisky with a rich and occasionally sulphury character. It is particularly well suited to maturation in ex-sherry casks. Common tasting notes include dried fruits, dark chocolate and rubber.    

Dailuaine is capable of producing around 5,200,000 litres of spirit in a year. 

Spirit is distilled from unpeated malt in three pairs of copper pot stills. The distillery set-up would suggest a light, delicate malt. However, thanks to a rapid distillation process, it retains some weight. Stainless steel condensers also reduce copper contact, allowing for more sulphur in the new make.

Spirit matures in a combination of ex-bourbon whiskey and ex-sherry casks. Very little is matured onsite. Instead, the spirit is transported to Diageo’s Blackgrange facility.

Single malt bottlings are few and far between. Diageo introduced a 16-year-old in 1991 as part of their Flora & Fauna series. It remains the only regularly available release today. Single cask releases have occasionally been bottled as the Manager's Dram and in 2015, a 34-year-old was included in that year’s Special Releases.

Small batches and single casks are occasionally released by independent bottlers like Gordon & MacPhail, Douglas Laing and Signatory Vintage.

Dailuaine is home to a dark grains plant. Distillation by-products from other Diageo distilleries are processed there.    

Farmer, William MacKenzie, established Dailuaine Distillery in 1852. Ten years later, the Strathspey Railway arrived and MacKenzie's distillery flourished. The new line brought cheaper fuel and made it easier to ship south to the blending houses.

When MacKenzie passed away in 1865, his wife leased the distillery to James Fleming of Aberlour. Fleming ran the business until MacKenzie’s son, Thomas, came of age.

Thomas took over in 1879 and set about modernising the site with the help of architect Charles Doig. In 1889, Dailuaine became the first distillery to be fitted with Doig's revolutionary ventilator. The pagoda-like structure was designed to draw smoke upwards, minimising its contact with the grain. This was the beginning of the Speyside whiskies moving away from the peaty, smoky style. 

Doig's invention was such a successful design, it became synonymous with the appearance of Scottish distilleries. Sadly, his first installation at Dailuaine was destroyed when a fire tore through the distillery in 1917. The blaze was caused by an explosion in the malt mill. Damage was estimated between £20,000 and £30,000.

By then, the MacKenzie family had sold the distillery to Distillers Company Limited (DCL). The new owners rebuilt and resumed production in 1920.

Since then, Dailuaine has produced single malt whisky for various blends, including Johnnie Walker. Though rare, single malt bottlings are worth seeking out as Dailuaine is an interesting and characterful malt in its own right.