The Dailuaine 21 Year Old is the sherry bomb in the 2025 Special Releases. Apparently there aren’t many casks of this age lying in warehouses, let alone Spanish oak sherry casks. Here we do get the idea of a properly special release.
Contrary to the Lagavulin 12 Years for instance, it also states sherry cask on the label.
Dailuaine 21 yo ‘Marbled Treasures’ (54,3%, OB Special Releases 2025, Spanish ex-sherry casks)
Nose: I really like this style. Rich, fruity sherry with a bright acidity. A lot of cherries and raspberries, red plums, raisins and some peaches. Red apple with cinnamon. Some toasted walnuts and a subtle hint of aromatic marzipan. Then some lovely tobacco appears, as well as polished cedar wood and cigar boxes. Over time cocoa comes forward.
Mouth: more juicy red fruits, a mix of raisins, figs, sour berries and raspberry. Perhaps a little more woody now, with walnuts and tobacco leaves, though never too dry. Nice hints of brown sugar, pepper and mild herbal notes. Then dark chocolate, coffee beans and leathery notes appear. A really nice balance of darker notes and flashes of bright juiciness.
Finish: quite long, gently drying, on clove, tobacco and walnuts, along with dark fruits and a hint of toasted oak.
This style reminds me of the Signatory 100 Proof series, or some nice Gordon & MacPhail examples: perfectly executed modern sherry, in my opinion. This comes from very high quality sherry casks, no doubt. Quality-wise, this is easy to recommended, even though it is not unique if you put things in a broader perspective. Already available from international retailers like The Whisky Exchange for instance.