Belgian whisky lovers are proud of The Nectar, our independent importer / bottler that is slowly gaining popularity in other countries as well. Mario Groteklaes and his companions are bringing us good (most of the time excellent) whisky. They have a great nose for outstanding casks and prices are reasonable, so most bottlings are sold out pretty soon.

In 2007, they introduced a new bottle design for the Daily Dram series. Good old Guy Boyen once told me Malt Maniac’s Serge was responsible for the label template, and who am I to question my whisky godfather. Serge reviews most of their bottlings so it could be right.

Daily Dram has a tradition of turning the distillery name into an anagram. Adieu Lina  obviously stands for Dailuane.

Dailuaine ‘Adieu Lina’ 1973 35y (47,6%, Daily Dram 2008, 150 btl.)

You could guess from the colour that this is from a sherry cask, and the smell immediately confirms this. Nose: sherry notes with christmas cake, oranges, raisins, figs and spices (lots of cinnamon, some cloves). Some flowery notes and wood polish as well. Interesting notes of rhubarb. Very good balance. With water: lovely notes of raspberry jam. Taste: much sweeter than on the nose: candied fruit, a bit of honey, orange (marmalade) again. Some vanilla. Aftertaste on pear, cloves and wood with a hint of caramel. The pear remains for a long time.

There aren’t many Dailuaines around, and most of them are not really special. This one has a lot to offer. Very nice, and good pricing as well given the age (€ 140).

Score: 87/100.