UNSUNG HERO
Dailuaine
In the latest instalment of his series celebrating some of Scotland’s lesser-known distilleries, Gavin D Smith turns his attention to Dailuaine on Speyside – rarely seen as a single malt, but much appreciated by Society members for its robust character
PHOTOS: PETER MOSER, FRIENDS OF SINGLE MALT
ABOVE: A relatively rapid distillation contributes to a somewhat ‘meaty’, full-bodied spirit at Dailuaine
There are many similarities between this month’s ‘unsung hero’ distillery, Dailuaine, and Glenlossie, which we featured in the last issue.
Both Dailuaine and Glenlossie are located in the heart of Speyside, both are owned by Diageo and admit no visitors, and like Glenlossie, Dailauine’s principal function is to provide malt spirit for use in the company’s blends. Merely a single ‘Flora & Fauna’ proprietary bottling of each brand is available.
Just as Glenlossie has become a firm favourite with Society members, so Dailauine has been bottled on more than 170 occasions to date.
Dailuaine – pronounced ‘dall-YEW-in’ – translates from Gaelic as ‘the green valley’ and the distillery is situated beside the Carron Burn, some three miles south-west of Aberlour, and close to the River Spey. Most sources consider its foundation date to be 1852, though 1854 is also sometimes cited.
The distillery was constructed by local farmer William Mackenzie, and in 1863, a branch line to Dailuaine from nearby Carron station was installed by the Strathspey Railway, which provided vital transport links for so many of the region’s distilleries.
WiIliam Mackenzie died in 1865, at which time his widow leased Dailuaine to Aberlour banker James Fleming, who went on to establish Aberlour distillery.
Regarding Dailuaine, Fleming created Mackenzie and Company with William Mackenzie’s son, Thomas, and in 1884, Dailuaine-Glenlivet Distilleries Ltd was formed.
The new firm proceeded to rebuild the distillery during the next three years, as a result of which it became the largest single distillery on Speyside.
ABOVE: As well as the eight Douglas Fir washbacks at Dailuaine, there are now two externally located stainless steel washbacks
The reconstruction programme brought a small but significant piece of distilling history to Dailauine. During a site visit on 3 May 1889, Elgin-based architect Charles Doig sketched a design for a new malt kiln chimney feature, intended to be an attractive and efficient replacement for the existing revolving, conical cowls, much like those found on oast houses in the south of England.
These facilitated the removal of smoke from the kiln below, but were aesthetically unappealing. Doig’s new design was a kiln chimney which brought in air from all directions to provide a better ‘draw’ for the fire beneath, combined with a steeply pitched kiln roof, intended to minimise the contact time between peat smoke and drying malt. The result was less overtly smoky spirit, and Doig’s development ultimately contributed significantly to a change in the regional whisky style.
Properly known as the Doig Ventilator, the feature is usually referred to as a pagoda, though pedants might point out that it is in fact a cupola.
The ventilator fitted at Dailuaine drew a great deal of admiration from rival distillers, both for its practical efficiency and its stylish appearance, and Doig was soon in demand to create many more of them.
In 1898 Dailuaine-Talisker Distilleries Ltd was formed, bringing together not only Dailuaine and the famous Isle of Skye distillery, but also the North of Scotland distillery in Aberdeen. Dailuaine’s neighbour, Imperial, was constructed by the company, and opened in the summer of 1898. Today, the Imperial site is home to Dalmunach distillery, which came on stream in 2015 and provides supplies of malt for blends in the ownership of Diageo’s rival Chivas Brothers.
In 1915 Thomas Mackenzie, who had played a leading role in Dailuaine-Talisker Distilleries Ltd, died, leaving no heir, and the following year, the company’s assets were acquired by a consortium of existing customers, including James Buchanan & Co, John Dewar & Sons and John Walker & Sons.
1917 saw a major fire seriously damage the distillery, destroying Doig’s original pagoda, and Dailuaine did not reopen until 1920. Five years later it became part of the Distillers Company Ltd, in whose ownership it remained for the next six decades, before becoming part of the Diageo portfolio via United Distillers.
ABOVE: Capacity at Dailuaine has increased in recent times, rising from 2.75 million litres of pure alcohol (LPA) per year in 1991 to its present 5.2m LPA
In common with many Scottish distilleries, Dailuaine was expanded and upgraded as the whisky industry began to undergo a revival in the years following the Second World War, although at Dailuaine another fire precipitated this work.
In 1960, the existing four stills were augmented by another pair, and Saladin maltings – in which the germinating barley is mechanically turned – were installed to increase the supply and consistency of malt required to feed the expanded operation. Five years later, the stills were converted from coal to steam heating.
In common with many Diageo distilleries, capacity at Dailuaine has been further increased in recent times, rising from 2.75 million litres of pure alcohol (LPA) per year in 1991 to 3.3m LPA, and then by 25 per cent in 2012 to its present 5.2m LPA. An 11.25-tonnes full lauter mashtun is in situ, and fermentation times are 46 hours. Two externally located stainless steel washbacks now augment the existing eight Douglas Fir washbacks, each of which takes a 54,000 litres charge. Seven-day working is practised, with around 22 mashes undertaken each week.
The six stills are large, with the spirit stills being ‘plain’ in design, while the wash stills are of ‘lamp glass’ style. The wash stills each have a capacity of 18,700 litres, and the spirit stills have capacities of 20,500 litres.
The presence of large stills fitted with shell and tube condensers might suggest that the spirit produced would be relatively light in character, but the condensers contain a stainless-steel component to reduce the amount of copper interaction.
Combined with relatively rapid distillation, this leads to a somewhat ‘meaty’, full-bodied spirit, redolent of boiled sweets. It is ideal for adding weight to a blend, hence the fact that less than two per cent of Dailuaine’s annual output is bottled as single malt.
In addition to its distilling role, Dailuaine is also home to a large dark grains plant that processes by-products from a range of Diageo distilleries.
Although Dailuaine has been altered almost beyond recognition over the years, a surviving distinctive granite building to the right-hand side of the entrance area was formerly the engine shed for the ‘puggie’ locomotive that transported commodities between the railway network and Dailuaine until the 1960s.
Another survivor of times past is an imposing line of 19th century granite warehouses that line the steep minor road linking Dailuaine to the A95 road south-west of Aberlour. However, these have not been used since the 1980s, with spirit produced at Dailuaine being transported by road tanker to Diageo’s filling and warehousing complexes in the Central Belt of the country.
Today, consumers are most likely to encounter Dailuaine within the recipe of a Johnnie Walker expression – unless, of course, they are fortunate enough to be members of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society…
