I got a sneak preview of some of the upcoming releases in the C. Dully Selection series. Our first encounter with this Swiss bottler was really nice, so let’s find out what they’re offering in the new year. For more information and availability take a look at their online shop.
Blended Malt 25 yo 2000 (51,2%, C. Dully ‘Map Label’ 2025, sherry butt #12, 200 btl.)
Nose: a very classic profile with quite a nice amount of red fruits. Lots of juicy raisins and plums, along with tangerine peels and just a hint of sunflower oil underneath. Then some marmalade and fruit cake, hints of dried figs and a light hint of herbal honey and mild spice.
Mouth: a nice oily feeling, and showing more herbal honey, raisins and stewed plums. Milk chocolate (growing darker over time) with light tobacco notes. Mid-palate a wave of herbal tea comes forward with more cocoa, a little pink pepper. It gets a little more savoury after a while, but the sherry is clean and the fruits provide the necessary balance.
Finish: long, with chocolate, lingering stewed fruits, cracked pepper and a little tobacco.
On the back label there is a map showing a spoon over the Easter Elchies estate. ‘Nuff said? Overall a really good expression of this iconic distillery.
Burnside 36 yo 1989 (52,4%, C. Dully ‘Map Label’ 2025, bourbon barrel #2500682, 199 btl.)
Nose: acacia honey and honey melon with white peach and a little blood orange. Also red apples and balanced vanilla. A faint chalky touch with mint leaves and a light whiff of pine needles. Then some rounder buttercups or dandelions too.
Mouth: again a certain sharpness of sour fruits (lemons, maybe passion fruit), along with white flowers and vibrant greengages. Later it turns towards pears and more candied / syrupy notes. Salted crackers in the background. Then hints of white pepper, vanilla soda and some fresh herbs.
Finish: good length, still bright and fresh, on citrus notes and rhubarb, green tea and a hint of sandalwood.
One of the oldest Burnsides to date – here the spoon is just north of Dufftown of course. A really nice take on this Wm Grant distillery, without the usual sherry influence. Beautiful and elegant, with a vibrant tart edge. Score: 90/100
Aikan – French Single Malt 2017 (61,2%, C. Dully 2025, Martinique rum casks, lot #40, 246 btl.)
Nose: surprisingly fruity, with a firm base of tinned pineapple, floral honey and hints of oranges. Also less common hints of white grape and slightly overripe melon. Then a mildly funky note from the rum, with saline / resinous echoes and hints of burnt herbs. I’m almost getting more rum than whisky at some point.
Mouth: slightly less convincing now, perhaps because the focus is more on the malt, which was probably not top-class. There’s a nice lemony note, but also hints of virgin (French?) oak and some roughness of the spirit, which gets highlighted by the rum influence. Liquorice and white pepper, with green apple and unripe pineapple. A hint of alcohol as well.
Finish: medium, with a woody / grainy edge and some herbal notes.
This is an undisclosed French single malt, aged in Martinique, in Martinican rum casks by Aikan. The word means marriage in the local language, and they are pioneers in the tropical ageing of whisky in rum casks – see this article in French, if you’re interested. A nice idea, with a lot more rum influence than continental whisky from rum casks. The result is really fine, given how difficult it is to match different spirits like rum and whisky, but it suffers a little from the youth of the spirit. Score: 83/100
Laphroaig 31 yo 1993 (42,4%, C. Dully 2025, hogshead #6793)
Nose: rather firm peat given the age. Plenty of ashes, iodine and bandages, with sharper hints of anchovies and window kit. Then a little leather and charcoal. The peat never dominates though, there are also lime peelings, peachy notes and even a hint of jasmine tea. Something warm, almost toffee-like in the distance.
Mouth: more camphor, medicinal notes like mercurochrome and ashy peat. Lemon zests underneath, some green tea and a flash of papaya and passion fruit (tropical notes that are sometimes missing in 1993s). Then back to oysters and pepper but still showing this warm and sweet undertone (apple pie?).
Finish: very long, on sweet smoke, mild maritime notes and peach jam.
An excellent Laphroaig. The nice fruity sweetness is a real asset here, and the balance is excellent. I feel this would have been stellar with just a bit more oomph. Overall one of the nicest 1993s I’ve had. Score: 91/100
Caol Ila 15 yo 2010 (56%, C. Dully 2025, bourbon hogshead #17752, 266 btl.)
Nose: confident, although opening perhaps a little rounder than others. Rubbed lemons with yellow apple, almonds and a little vanilla. Over time the maritime character becomes stronger – seaweed, beach sand and crushed shells.
Mouth: more medicinal than expected. Green herbs and grassy ashes, with antiseptics and brine. Green pepper and fennel seeds as well, along with lemons and grapefruit peels. Acrid smoke with iodine. Mid-palate some caramel appears.
Finish: long, with more brine and zesty citrus, along with grassy notes and cold ashes.
Very clean, with a firm zesty side and medicinal core. Pure Islay goodness. Score: 87/100