Daftmill 2012 Summer Batch
Daftmill Distillery is situated near Cupar in Fife, making it one of just seventeen Lowland distilleries currently releasing whisky, with 6 more under construction or active but not yet releasing. However, Daftmill was the pioneer - commissioned in 2004, though only began production in earnest in 2005, it marked start of the new wave of distilleries. At that time it was the first malt whisky distillery in Fife since Auchertool closed its doors in 1927.
The business is owned by Francis and Ian Cuthbert whose family has farmed the land since the 1980s.
What makes Daftmill unique is the traditional nature of the production schedule - Daftmill is a true farm distillery. All the barley used for production is farmed by Francis on the estate. The whisky is all distilled by Francis in the farm off-season; two months in summer and two months in winter – this is a very traditional way of running a distillery that hasn’t been seen in Scotland since the 1800s.
Daftmill is also one of Scotland’s smallest distilleries by output, distilling only 20,000 LPA or about 100 casks per year.
About This Release:
- Total bottles released: 5250 Globally
- Barley: Grown on the Daftmill farm, harvested in September 2011, using the Concerto variety
- Distillation & Bottling: Distilled in July and August 2012, matured in first-fill American Oak Barrels, and bottled at 46% ABV in 2025
- Warehouse: Aged entirely in the cool lower floors of Warehouse No. 1
Tasting Notes:
Bright and honeyed with layers of orchard fruit and fresh malt. The palate brings citrus zest, barley sugar, and delicate vanilla, with a gentle spice and floral lift on the finish. Elegant, light-footed, and distinctly Daftmill.
Tasting notes from whiskyfun.com
Colour: straw. Nose: the texture feels oily even on the nose, then it dives straight into the citrus—mainly mandarins and pink grapefruit. Not a whole lot else going on, but unless you belong to the 0.001% of mankind who dislike citrus, you’ll find this just about perfect. After a minute or two, tiny hints of fennel seeds and caraway sneak in, adding even more zestiness to this impeccably clean-line malt. Mouth: ultra-coherent, spot-on at 46%, rather incisive while textured, leaning more towards lemon and grapefruit than mandarins. A touch of honeyed vanilla rounds it off a little, no doubt the influence of the first fill bourbon, but it remains fresh and lifted, and rather less bready/yeasty than some previous editions. Finish: good length, still all on citrus, wee oranges (and the big ones too), with just a flicker of coriander appearing in the aftertaste. Comments: really very good, but that was to be expected.
SGP:661 - 88 points.