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DYC 12 Year Old Spanish Whisky
(Credit: Emma Briones)
By Emma Briones
Rating: B+
The Spanish distillery DYC has recently announced a new range of whiskies called “Maestros Destiladores” (Masters Distillers).” The new range will be comprised, according to DYC, of high-quality whiskies. The first release in this collection is DYC 12 Year Old Blended Whisky.
First, a quick reminder about who DYC is, since they aren’t well known outside of their native Spain. Founded in 1958 by Nicomedes Garcia, DYC is the best-selling whisky brand in Spain and the distillery still has the largest overall production capacity of any in Europe (although it isn’t running anywhere near its maximum at present). The company is best known for making inexpensive, mixer-grade whiskies, although they released a good 10 year old single malt several years ago.
DYC 12 is a blend, not a single malt. According to the distillery, the spirit has been aged in bourbon casks for 12 years and then finished in Sherry casks. This new blend has been bottled at 40% abv (80 proof) and comes in a brand new packaging to showcase the whisky. The DYC 12 bottle is simple and neat, and does not use the classic DYC style. The new label strengthens the idea of a crafted whisky.
The Whisky
DYC 12 is copper on the glass with mahogany reflections. On the nose, it starts warm and sweet. There are some vanilla and toasted oak notes and a sweet touch of toffee. It is followed by fresh fruity notes (pears, peaches) that mix with dried fruits aromas.
On the palate is mellow and has a nice body. It is here that DYC 12 shows all its classic bourbon style notes. There are custard notes, with a strong blow of vanilla and a touch of roasted malt.
There are also some oak notes that slowly betray its Sherry touch. It is then that this blend shows raisins and dried peaches notes that melt with a hint of dark chocolate.
The finish is quite long even though it is subtle. With light spicy notes that fade away to leave a nice memory of malt and oak.
The Spanish distillery really showcases the best of DYC with this elegant and subtle new blend. Nicely balanced, DYC 12 is hard to beat on its price range, making it a blend that doesn’t disappoint and a good souvenir to bring home after your Spanish holidays.
The Price
DYC 12 Maestros Destiladores is officially available only in Spain. It is retailed at 19,95 €.
