Daftmill 15 Year Old

With the release of its first 15-year-old single malt Scotch whisky, the distillery enters a new chapter. Distilled in its inaugural years, this release gives us a chance to reflect on Daftmill’s journey from a niche farm distillery to a Lowland treasure.

Daftmill Distillery: the details
Daftmill Distillery was established by Francis and Ian Cuthbert in 2005. The distillery sits on a working farm, which has been in the family for generations, and production operates seasonally, reflecting traditional farming cycles. The barley is grown on their land. The water is sourced from their own well. Words like artisan, craft, and farm-to-bottle all come to mind here. But the authenticity of Daftmill means they’re not accompanied by a gigantic eye roll.

Daftmill took the brave step of not releasing whisky as soon as it could and instead opted to do so when the whisky was ready. Of course, having a working farm backing the operation meant that it had an advantage most distilleries don’t of not needing to make sweet whisky dollars ASAP. But Daftmill goes even further by only distilling during the farm’s quieter periods – mid-summer and mid-winter – which means its output is around just 100 casks annually.

This limited production has created a strong demand among whisky enthusiasts, further fuelled by an admiration for the distillery’s patience and commitment to quality over quantity, which means bottles sell out quickly. You’ll often see Daftmill whiskies appear on auction sites and the shame is that you wonder how many bottles are actually being opened and how often the average whisky fan gets to experience this spirit.

It’s especially disappointing given those of us lucky enough to try Daftmill know it’s a heck of a whisky. It has this classic Lowland lilt with elegant, fruity, and delicacy floral flavours but plenty of weight and body to command your attention and a rich malty core.

Traditional methods help craft its whisky. Every Daftmill release is unique, due to them being made from the barley grown on the farm from a single harvest. The barley undergoes malting before being mashed and fermented in wooden washbacks. The distillation occurs in copper pot stills, yielding a light and refined spirit, which then ages in high-quality bourbon or sherry casks. It’s a slow, deliberate production process that ensures the whisky develops complex flavours over time.