Daftmill Whisky Comes To America
Daftmill Single Malt Whisky, a new arrival in the U.S. thanks to leading San Francisco-based premium craft spirits importer Hotaling & Co., takes farm-to-bottle to a new level as one of Scotland’s true farm-distilleries. Made from estate-grown barley farmed by Francis Cuthbert in Fife, Scotland, Daftmill’s first U.S. release – Daftmill 2006 Summer Batch Single Malt Whisky (46% ABV; $250 SRP; 1,680 bottles available) – evokes Scottish whisky traditions that haven’t been seen since the 1800s, making it a quintessentially collectable limited-edition single malt.
Distillery owners and brothers Francis and Ian Cuthbert have farmed the land since the 1980s, and began distilling in 2003. They distill whisky in the off-season – two months in the summer, and two months in the winter. Aged 12 years, the first Daftmill single malts were released in 2018. Daftmill 2006 Summer Batch is comprised of seven different first-fill bourbon casks – 067/2006, 068/2006, 069/2006, 070/2006, 071/2006, 072/2006, and 073/2006; it was bottled July 2019. Daftmill is one of Scotland’s smallest distilleries by output – distilling only 100 casks per year – and one of only nine active Lowland distilleries; it releases two whiskies a year.
“We are excited to finally send whisky from our wee farm in Fife to the USA,” says Francis Cuthbert. “Before selecting the casks for this US bottling, I had to move, sample and taste every cask we had filled in 2006. I feel these seven casks are as good as any we produced that year.”
“Daftmill epitomizes Hotaling & Co.’s dedication to authentic, premium, craft spirit producers,” says Dan Leese, Hotaling & Co. President & CEO. “We pride ourselves on delivering exceptional spirits from around the world, and as a true Scottish farm-to-bottle single malt, Daftmill is must for every whisky collector.
