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Famed wine and spirits merchants Berry Brothers & Rudd are releasing the whisky made by one of Scotland’s newest and smallest producers, Daftmill.
Francis and Ian Cuthbert founded the distillery on the family farm near Fife in 2005, and is an early example of the growing “single estate” distillery. “Single Estates” are a throwback to the model that was prevalent prior to the mid-19th Century and the rise of large distilling concerns around the world, namely the farmer-distiller. Daftmill uses only barley grown on its own property. What is more, distilling takes place in two “off-season” periods, a traditional practice fitting into the agricultural calendar.
With those limitations, Daftmill has operated on a small scale, and fills only 100 casks with malt whisky per year. Those casks reportedly are all ex-bourbon barrels provided by Heaven Hill. The Cuthberts have indicated that their first release can be expected in 2018.
