Daftmill, 15-Year-Old, Fife Strength, Bottled 2024, Lowland, Single Malt Scotch Whisky, (56.3%)
About this SPIRIT
Daftmill Distillery
Six generations of the Cuthbert family have grown malting barley in Fife, alongside their crop of potatoes and herd of beef cattle; but in 2005 brothers Francis and Ian started work to convert the old mill buildings into a micro-distillery. One of just nine distilleries in the Lowlands, Daftmill didn’t release a single bottle until 2018 – despite having over 10 years’ worth of stock. It produces just 100 casks a year and ages its single malt whiskies for 10 years or more.
Daftmill is a true farm distillery. All the barley used for production is farmed by Francis Cuthbert on the estate, while the water comes from the property’s own natural spring. The whisky is all distilled by Francis in the farm’s off-season – for just two months in summer and two months in winter. This is a very traditional way of running a distillery that hasn’t been seen in Scotland since the 1800s.
The name Daftmill comes from the seemingly “daft” burn (or stream) on the property that appears to run uphill; over time the mill on said stream took on its name, becoming known as “Daft Mill”.
Lowlands Whisky
Lowland whiskies come from the area north of the English border, and south of a line drawn between Greenock in the west, and Dundee in the east. Traditionally they have been the source of a lot of the whisky to be used for blends, as such the style is much lighter than other regions, with little or no peat. By the late 19th centaury almost the entire production of the Lowland distilleries went for blending
The growth in popularity and power of the Highland and Speyside distilleries, has been matched by a fall from favour for Lowland producers, to such an extent that today there are only three left in production. By far and away the two biggest whisky distilleries are Auchentoshan and Glenkinchie. The third being Bladnoch, which is also, the most southerly distillery of all.
Auchentoshan Distillery is on the northern edge of Glasgow and was founded in 1800. It has a light, cereal and citrus nose and a clean, dry finish. Glenkinchie Distillery is located at Pencaitland, just outside Edinburgh. Typical of Lowland malt whiskies: fragrant and reserved, with a clean, fresh flavour.
There are some silent stills, whose whiskies are still found from time to time. Rosebank is quite often seen and was generally considered to be the best Lowland malt. Occasionally, but more rarely seen are St.Magdalene from Linlithgow, Littlemill from Bowling Dumbartonshire and Ladyburn, which was housed inside William Grants grain distillery at Girvan on the Ayrshire coast.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
Due to demand, we are restricting this product to one bottle per customer.
As with previous 15-year-old bottlings of Francis Cuthbert’s impeccably distilled home-grown malt, this Daftmill shows the wisdom of growing maturity. Sweet vanilla is being joined by deftly-spiced custard. Orchard fruits are being gradually stewed and roasted. Rich oak structure is lengthening and softening to a velveteen finish. This is another winning salute to Fife’s finest.
Rob Whitehead, Spirits Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd (January 2025)
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