Only a dram will do for this rare cask of whisky
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Scottish Single Malt Whisky truly is a global product with the biggest names in the industry producing literally millions of litres of spirit annually. With such huge supply and demand pressures, these distilleries often run 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
However, not all distilleries play by the modern rules and I would like to introduce you to Daftmill distillery. Set in the heart of Fife, using barley grown at Daftmill Farm and water from their own artesian well, they started distilling in 2005.
The distillery works in harmony with the farm, producing whisky on a seasonal basis. During the winter months when things are quieter on the farm they make whisky, whereas in spring they are sowing barley, planting potatoes and getting the cattle out to graze so the distillery falls silent.
The distillery comes back to life in June and July before shutting down again for harvest time. This style of operation used to be the norm but has not been seen in Scotland in the last 100 years.
They have been very patient in releasing whisky, not going down the popular route for new distilleries offering young whisky or even gin to gain some revenue.
Their first release was the “2005 Inaugural Release” – a very limited edition of just 629 bottles, a 12-year-old released in June 2018 and sold via a ballot system at a price of £210. This rarity makes it very desirable for collectors and bottles are now fetching over £1000 at auction.
In short what this means is that very few bottles of Daftmill are being opened and enjoyed which is not what co-founder, farmer and distiller Francis Cuthbert had intended.
The Independent Whisky Bars of Scotland and Daftmill have been working together and are delighted to offer Daftmill Single Cask 2008 #68, with one very important condition attached. The whisky is only to be sold by the dram.
This whisky has been fully matured in a first-fill ex-Bourbon cask and bottled at natural strength of 55.5 per cent ABV and is now available for £10 a dram at Dornoch Castle Hotel (Dornoch), Fiddlers Inn (Drumnadrochit), The Highlander Inn (Craigellachie), The Ardshiel (Campbeltown), Artisan (Wishaw), The Bon Accord (Glasgow) and The Malt Room (Inverness).
