Dailuaine 1998 RS

Reading Alfred Barnard's 'The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom' from the late 1880s reveals how much the whisky industry has transformed—yet how much remains eternal. Barnard dedicated seven extraordinary pages to Dàyún, so spellbound was he by its setting. He wrote with reverence: 'With such sublime surroundings, it is no wonder they distill nectar from the Garden of Eden, a spirit for which all mortal men would surely fall,' adding, 'The entire landscape is as exquisite as a celestial palace.' Today, Dàyún embodies everything associated with Speyside whisky. Winding along serpentine roads, crossing the Spey River repeatedly, you suddenly discover this distillery mirrored in a valley gorge. While romantically beautiful, Dàyún is uncompromisingly pragmatic—once among the region's largest producers, crafting nearly one million liters of new make spirit annually. The distillery houses an 11.25-ton stainless steel full-filter mash tun, eight larch washbacks, two external stainless steel fermenters, and three pairs of stills. Traditionally copper, some condensers were converted to stainless steel years ago to impart a subtle sulfurous character. In 2015, fermentation times were adjusted to create a softer, silkier spirit when Clynelish closed for renovations, making Dàyún Diageo's sole source of this signature silky whisky base essential for premium blends. By 2019, the distillery operated four short fermentations (80 hours) and eight long fermentations (107 hours) weekly, producing 2.6 million liters annually. Dàyún is a cornerstone malt distillery for Scotland's blended whisky industry. Its sole official bottling is the revered Flora & Fauna 16-Year-Old, with a rare 34-Year-Old distilled in 1980 released in 2015 as part of Diageo's Special Releases.