Adelphi Westland 8yo (Cask #7578) & Adelphi Dailuaine 12yo (Cask 302796)

Adelphi Westland 8yo (Cask #7578)

Region: Washington, USA

ABV: 50.9%

Price: £84.95

Distilled at Westland Distillery on in 2017 and fully matured for 8 years in a first fill Pedro Ximénez sherry butt before being bottled in 2025. Outturn of 742 bottles.

Nose

The nose opens with a host of rich dark fruits, plums, figs, blackcurrant, all cooked down into a decadent jammy compote. There's also molasses and a little bit of funk, something a little ferment-y, meaty even. The nose is powerful but the alcohol is soft, you don't really feel it at all. Going back, we're also finding dates and raisins.. it's very very PX-forward. 

Palate

The palate opens with... pretty much the same as the nose - a big hit of jammy dark fruits, the same plums, figs and blackcurrants are jumping around on the palate. The texture mirrors the flavours, with quite a chewy, thick PX-syrup like sensation in the mouth. The finish does linger on for a good while, with a fair amount of black forest gateau flavours, although there's a bit of bitterness that creeps in.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose softens the richness slightly, it takes us back to being in the sherry bodegas in Jerez, the aroma of sherry vapours in the air, rather than our noses deep in the cask. It's moved more into raisins, dates and sultanas now, with a little bit of milky coffee in the background.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate, like the reduced nose, feels softer, less aggressively sherried, less dark fruits and more coffees, dark chocolates and a bit of oak spice in the background. Weirdly, the alcohol feels like it comes through more, there's a bit more spice here.

Conclusion

Probably our first American Single Malt sherry bomb. This is full on PX at 50% ABV. We can't pretend to taste the spirit character, it's all cask for us. Saying that, it's quite tasty and if you're a sherry bomb fan, this will be right up your alley.

Score: 7.5/10

Value

It might seem expensive for an eight year old, but single cask Westland is hard to come by.

Adelphi Dailuaine 12yo (Cask 302796)

Region: Speyside

ABV: 53.5%

Price: £72.99

Distilled in 2013 and fully matured in a refill Oloroso sherry hogshead. Bottled in 2025 at 12 years with an outturn of 265 bottles.

Nose

The nose opens with buttery custard cream biscuits, a little lemon zest, apple cores, simple sugar syrup and a handful of candied nuts in the background. The refill oloroso characteristics are definitely subtle, but there's a good amount of cask influence that's been imparted onto the spirit. The alcohol is well balanced, it's present but not overpowering. With time, we're finding more raisin aromas, fig jam and even a little bramble. 

Palate

The palate opens with a burst of cherry jam, it's tart yet sweet, alongside apple strudel, buttery pastry cases, a little cinnamon spice and sweetened lemonade. Again, the sherry isn't the dominant character here, but there's whisperings of it that show up now and then. The mouthfeel is pretty good, there's some texture here, and the alcohol is soft, giving more of a subtle wood spice rather than burn. Going back, there's a bit of raspberry and plum too, showing a bit more of the cask flavours after the dram gets some air.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose feels like it has a bit more of a red fruit character, lots of jammy raspberry, cherry and strawberry aromas hit us. Behind this, those creamier, biscuitier aromas are still present. We're preferring the nose with a little drop of water.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate loses a bit of texture, and feels both sweeter and spicier. Rather than the big hit of fruit, it's now a hit of wood spice followed by more creamy custard flavours. Unlike the nose, we'd avoid water on the palate.

Conclusion

A perfectly well crafted whisky, doing well to balance the refill sherry with the distillery spirit. It doesn't blow us away, it's just good whisky that we'd happily sip on. It's nice to see what full term maturation in a refill sherry cask can do to Dailuaine, as opposed to a lot of the refill bourbon into 1st fill sherry we often find.

Score: 7.5/10

Value

Adelphi releases are usually pricier than other independent bottlers, but this comes in on the cheaper side for them.

• 10 - Perfection. One in a million
• 9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.
• 8 - Great. Would seek this out.
• 7 - Good. Quality whisky.
• 6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.
• 5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.
• 4 - Below average. Passable.
• 3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.
• 2 - Defective. Significant faults.
• 1 - Offensive. Pour it out.

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