Ardnamurchan, Dailuaine and Glengoyne by 12 Barrels
A Dutch band of brothers named “12 Barrels” at one point bought … you guessed it … 12 casks of whisky, to be bottled over the years. Most of the bottlings are done with an own label, but some distilleries do not really go for that. The 12 Barrels solved that by adding a neck tie or label to the official bottling that was then released. We have seen this on a Kilchoman, Glengoyne and their Ardnamurchan that we wrote a blog about here. In the meantime, new releases have reached our doorstep, so we are going to taste them today. We will start with an earlier release, the aforementioned Glengoyne. We really loved that one and grab the chance to revisit it for official notes on Long Pour Amour. In the meantime, my friend at 12 Barrels has let me know they already purchased quite a few more casks, to continue their scheme. Interesting names upcoming, like GlenWyvis and Lochlea, to name a few.
Glengoyne 11 years old, vintage 2011, bottled at 55,8 % abv for 12 Barrels
First things first: Distilled on 13 April 2011, this one was bottled on 27 May 2022. Maturation took place in an European Oak Oloroso Sherry Hogshead. That has become more rare, has it not, European oak? Some 282 were filled from cask # 804.
Upon Sipping: Yes, this is a classic, with lots of notes you want to find in your sherry influenced whisky. Tobacco leaves, chocolate notes and cooled down coffee. The taste reveals a sweetness that is absent from the nose, but I am happy to find it. With just enough wood infusion it makes for a holy trinity of classic sherry whisky: cask, sherry and whisky working in perfect balance. At 55,8 % abv it is a tad harsh still, but we can help that along with some water drops. Just a few drops are enough to also make the nose shine like a diamond. On the palate, more caramel sweetness now. This would go excellent together with a box of chocolates, or better still: use in a recipe.
Word to the Wise: This Glengoyne is straightforward in its sherried character, but there is enough malty presence to remember us this is a whisky. Good choice to bottle this sooner rather than later; it could have become too woody and overshadowed by chocolate notes.
Score: 89 points.
Dailuaine 10 years old, bottled at 57,4 % abv by 12 Barrels
First things first: Distilled on 19 January 2015 and bottled on 26 February 2025, this is Vintage # 11 in the 12 Barrels series, and the whisky matured on bourbon barrel 300168.
Upon Sipping: Young, undisturbed Dailuaine, yes please! Let us see if it still carries this waxiness they tried to replicate while the Clynelish Distillery was undergoing refurbishment. Sticking my nose in the glass, it is indeed greeted by a characterful dram, full on unorthodox notes like copper coins, pumpernickel, green apples and a combination of iron and vanilla. Textbook Dailuaine, if you ask me. Extremely clean and pure. The taste approaches the nose almost to a millimetre, with all these aspects returning on the palate. It is not as easy dram, I blame that on the high abv too, but I ask you: can you point me at a single malt whisky that display such complexity at 10 years old? This Dailuaine displays the rougher edges of the Speyside spectrum. Lots of unripe fruit in there, with green apples doing most of the talking, and a bitter, almost sulphury sidenote. With a dash of water, the vanilla becomes a tad stronger, and the apples even fresher, as if you dropped them in a bucket of water. Ice cold Spey River water. The mouthfeel has become a tad more waxy now, with slight sour notes playfully teasing the tongue. Hints of tangerine. The finish is more (dare I say the cliché word?) smooth now. Extremely balanced for a single cask. Wonderful.
Word to the Wise: For whisky professors. This Dailuaine offers a complexity some whiskies just never reach, no matter how long you mature it. Impressive stuff. It remains within a certain spectrum that narrows the score to the maximum, but this is an intelligent dram. Bold bottling!
Score: 88 points.
Ardnamurchan 2017, 7 years old, bottled at 60,5 % abv for 12 Barrels
First things first: Unlike their previous Ardnamurchan, this one is peated. Distilled on 13 September 2017 and bottled on 28 April 2025, this whisky matured on a first fill Spanish oak oloroso cask. Cask # 657 produced no less than 310 bottles.
Upon Sipping: Something else entirely here, isn’t that the truth? Peat, a heavy cask, let’s see if it all plays well together. The ashy peat is quite up front in this Ardnamurchan, and the alcohol sadly blocks the nuances of the sherry influence. We will take a sip and start playing with water. Some cigar leaves enter the nose on repeated sniffing. The palate offers the richness of a good oloroso cask, with lots of red fruit and again those tasty Caribbean cigars. Extremely drinkable at over 60 % abv, with a perfect smoky peat kick on the finish, offering a meaty balance to the red fruits. With water, this meatiness moves way to the front of the experience. Charcoal and venison steaks with a little cranberry sauce, if you please. A slight disturbance of balance because of the water, but all in all it remains a very strong offering, which indeed combines all the pleasures of this whisky into a solid unity.
Word to the Wise: Oloroso works perfectly with young Ardnamurchan, and if there is peated or unpeated distillate in the cask does not matter all that much. It brings balance, power and delicacy all in one glass. I am (again) deeply impressed with what Ardnamurchan can deliver. Well done and congratulations to the 12 Barrels!
Score: 89 points.