Daftmill 15 Year Old is here!

Daftmill Distillery has gained a near-mythical status among whisky enthusiasts.

The Lowland distillery, nestled in a farm in the heart of Fife, Scotland, has won admirers for its patience and dedication to craft. The fact that bottles of Daftmill whisky are as rare as shiny Charizard cards also helps the hype.

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. 

Barley for Daftmill whisky comes from the brand's own farm

Daftmill is a genuine farm distillery

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.

Daftmill’s 15 Year Old is now available from Master of Malt

Daftmill 15 Year Old arrives!

Daftmill 15 Year Old: A milestone for the Lowland outlier

Daftmill 15 Year Old was distilled in June, July and August 2009 from Optic barley grown in the south fields of the farm. Optic, developed in the 1990s, was once a mainstay in the Scotch whisky industry. Initially favoured for its high starch content, excellent yield, and malting quality, Optic’s dominance declined with the rise of newer varieties in the 21st century but plenty still value its balance of quality and reliability.

The single malt was created from a selection of twenty casks, nineteen of which are first-fill bourbon barrels and one is a Pedro Ximénez cask. The distillery has never released a whisky with PX cask maturation before so this is a true outlier. The casks were matured in the lower level of warehouse 2 before being bottled in December 2024 at the ‘traditional Fife strength’ of  56.3% ABV. 

Limited in number and steeped in the distillery’s signature style, we’re told Francis calls this release a ‘timeless classic’. We hope those of you lucky enough to get a bottle enjoy it thoroughly. The full tasting note and link to purchase are below. 

Daftmill 15 Year Old Tasting Note:  

Nose: Undeniably Daftmill with a nose full of the tropical notes we look for and a rich sweetness.  

Palate: The palate brings notes of barley sugar and malt, that we have come to enjoy from Francis’s distillate.

Finish: A distinct sweet dark fruit uplift on the finish hinting of the light sherry touch. A deep, complex lengthy dram. 

You can buy Daftmill 15 Year Old from Master of Malt now.