Daftmill, a farm distillery in the Howe of Fife, made its first whisky on 16 December 2005 as Fife's first new distillery in over 100 years.1,2,3 Since 2005 it has used only the farm's own barley, distilling for a few months each summer and winter.1,4,5 Daftmill says working in seasons around the farm year was once the norm but has not been seen in Scotland for the last 100 years.1,4,5
Pitlair passed from the Kynloch family to the Sandilands, who sold it in 1649, and by 1701 the Walker family was at Daftmill.6 The Daft Mill, a corn mill dated 1809, was named after the local Daft Burn, which seemed to flow upstream.
Astonishingly compact, with pink peppercorns and sandalwood coated in agave and vineyard-peach syrup, this Daftmill turns gloriously global with water.
Complex and full of flavour, this rich whisky combines bramble, cherry, hazelnut, tobacco and dark chocolate, though its cask influence may overshadow…
Daftmill / Dufftown / Old Orkney Relics (Decadent Drinks)
In June 2003 brothers Francis and Ian Cuthbert applied for planning permission to convert the old mill buildings into a distillery.1,9,10 Repairs and fitting took most of 2004 and 2005, with stills and mash tun from Forsyths of Rothes and advice from retired distillery manager John MacDougall and Dr Jim Swan.1,9,10 The barley for the first spirit, a variety called Chariot, was cut from the farm's Dam Park and Curling Pond fields on 31 August 2004.3,10 It was among the last barley that Robert Kilgour & Co malted in Fife before the firm closed.3,10 Francis learned the craft at the Bladnoch Distillery whisky school, and HM Revenue & Customs granted the licence on St Andrews Day 2005.1,2,3
Crisp Maltings in Alloa malts the barley the farm keeps for the distillery, and the malt is un-peated.2,9,10 Water comes from the farm's own artesian well.1,9 The wash, or fermented beer, is made in 2 stainless steel washbacks.5,8,9 Fermentation lasts 72 to 100 hours.8,9,10 Francis Cuthbert says he aims for a light, fruity, classic Lowland style, with long fermentations, slow distilling and a narrow cut, the middle part of the run that is kept.8,9,10 There is one wash still and one spirit still.2 The stills are heated by indirect steam, and shell and tube condensers turn the vapour back into spirit.9
Every bottle in Peated with a vintage year.
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