DAFTMILL 2012 Netherlands Single Cask Single Malt

DAFTMILL is a 100% Single Estate Scotch whisky, where every aspect of production is carried out by hand. Owner Francis Cuthbert is personally involved in tending the grain used for the whisky. He not only drives the tractor to tend the grain but also operates the pot stills in which the whisky is distilled. DAFTMILL executes the entire process from grain to glass itself and has been doing so for over twenty years. Francis distills for two months in the summer, just as he does in the winter. As a result, approximately one hundred casks are filled annually. This method takes us back to the 1800s, when farmers used exclusively grain from their own land for the production of their whisky and distilled during periods when the land did not need to be cultivated. DAFTMILL is therefore a tribute to farming tradition and the old way of making whisky.

Our own Dutch Single Cask from DAFTMILL has, as we have come to expect from this distillery, an extensive and special story. The Concerto barley variety was grown on the southernmost fields of the Daftmill Estate. This specific variety has a somewhat higher sugar content, making it excellently suited for producing high-quality whisky. The grain was harvested on September 2 and 3, 2011, subsequently dried and stored in the farm's warehouse. In the spring of 2012, the barley was malted, and during the summer season of the same year, the new make spirit was distilled. On July 4, 2012, this distillate went into a first-fill ex-bourbon cask. After this, it lay on the top floor of the warehouse until February 2026, after which it was bottled as a single cask exclusively for the Dutch market.

The whisky is distinguished by flavours of brioche, malted barley, apple, lime, and a subtle waxy undertone. This truly makes it a fantastic whisky. The result is a unique bottling: 212 bottles at a cask strength of 57.3% alcohol.