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Dailuaine
Distillery & brand
Rarely seen as a single malt bottling (the occasional Flora & Fauna from owner Diageo, infrequent independent offerings) Dailuaine is one of the many hard-working distilleries which quietly provide fillings for blends. That doesn’t mean it is in any way boring.
Dailuaine distillery
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
The set-up – six large stills, condensers – suggests that a light style should be produced, but instead it produces a heavy ‘meaty’ make thanks to long fermentation, rapid distillation and the use of stainless steel in the condensers to cut down on copper interaction. That Flora & Fauna bottling (from ex-Sherry casks) shows this mix of richness and sweetness at its best.
Dailuaine History
At the end of the 19th century, Dailuaine was the largest single malt distillery in Speyside and also one of the most innovative in terms of design. It was built in 1851 by William Mackenzie and by the 1860s was being serviced by the Strathspey railway.
A complete rebuild in 1884 saw the installation of Scotland’s first pagoda on a kiln whose pitch was deliberately steep to minimise the contact time between peat smoke and drying malt, one of the clearest indications of how the old ‘Strathspey’ style was changing. In 1898, it merged with Talisker to form Dailuaine-Talisker Distilleries Ltd. The distillery perished in a fire in 1917, by which time it had become part of DCL. Saladin maltings ran from 1959 to 1970.
Dailuaine is also home to a dark grains plant and processes all of the spent grains from Diageo’s southern and central sites. If you see clouds of smoke rising from a riverside glen as you drive by the slopes of Ben Rinnes, that’s Dailuaine at work.
Timeline
- 1851 William Mackenzie builds Dailuaine distillery in Speyside
- 1884 The distillery is completely refurbished and a steep-sided pagoda is installed
- 1865 Mackenzie dies, and the distillery is leased to Aberlour banker, James Fleming
- 1879 Mackenzie's son, Thomas, forms Mackenzie and Company with Fleming
- 1898 Dailuaine merges with Talisker to form Dailuaine-Talisker Distilleries
- 1915 Thomas Mackenzie dies and a year later the company is bought by John Dewar & Sons, John Walker & Sons and James Buchanan & Co
- 1917 A fire rips through the distillery, destroying the pagoda roof and forcing it to close
- 1920 Dailuaine reopens
- 1925 DCL take over the operation of Dailuaine
- 1959 A second fire rages through the distillery
- 1960 The site is refurbished yet again with two more stills installed, bringing Dailuaine up to six. A Saladin box replaces the maltings
- 1965 Dailuaine converts to steam heating
- 1983 The distillery's maltings is decommissioned
- 1991 Dailuiane's first bottling as a single malt is released – a 16-year-old in the Flora & Fauna series
- 2012 Production capacity is extended by 25%
Dailuaine Facts
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- Condenser Type i
- Shell and tube
-
- Fermentation Time i
- 75hrs
-
- Filling Strength i
- 63.5%
-
- Grist Weight (t) i
- 11.25
-
- Heat Source i
- Steam
-
- Malt Specification i
- Non peated
-
- Malt Supplier i
- Mainly in house
-
- Mash Tun Type i
- Lauter
-
- New-make Phenol Level i
- Non peaty
-
- New-make Strength i
- 66-68%
-
- Spirit Still Charge (l) i
- 19,000
-
- Spirit Still Shape i
- Plain
-
- Stills i
- 6
-
- Wash Still Charge (l) i
- 17,000
-
- Wash Still Shape i
- Lamp Glass
-
- Washback Type i
- 8 wood, 2 steel
-
- Washbacks i
- 10
-
- Water Source i
- Balliemullich Burn
-
- Wort Clarity i
- Clear
-
- Yeast Type i
- Creamed
Owners
Current owner
- Diageo 1997 - present
Previous owners
- United Distillers 1986 - 1997
- Distillers Company Limited 1925 - 1986
- John Dewar & Sons 1915 - 1925 (joint owner)
- John Walker & Sons 1915 - 1925 (joint owner)
- James Buchanan & Company 1915 - 1925 (joint owner)
- Dailuaine-Talisker Distilleries Ltd 1898 - 1915
- Dailuaine-Glenlivet Distilleries Ltd 1884 - 1898
- The Mackenzie Family 1851 - 1884
Contact
- Address
-
Dailuaine Distillery
Carron
Aberlour
Moray
AB38 7RE
United Kingdom - Phone
- +44 1340 872500
- Visitor Opening Hours
- Not open to the public
Map
See also
-
Distillery & brand