Dava Way - Orkney 17yo

The Dava Way is the new independent bottling arm of @TheDunphail Distillery, the same team behind @BimberLondon Distillery!

Let's take a little walk...

The Dava Way is one of Scotland’s many long-distance walking and off-road cycling routes.

It follows the old Highland Railway line for 24 miles (38 km) between the historic towns of Forres and Grantown-on-Spey passing within a mile of the Dunphail Distillery.

Construction started on the 103 miles railway between Dunkeld and Forres in October 1861, the 36 miles from Forres to Aviemore were opened in June 1863. The whole route was opened for traffic in September 1863 having taken less than 2 year to build. 

The Dava Way Association gives more information on their website:

"The railway required the construction of eight viaducts, 126 bridges over burns and 119 road bridges. The most notable engineering feature of the line is the Divie Viaduct, having a total length of 477 feet (145 metres). It crosses the River Divie on seven arches of 45 foot (14 metres) width span each.

The object of the line’s promoters was to move the produce of the Moray Firth and its shores – sheep, cattle and fish to the south. The railway reduced the journey time for livestock from four to six weeks down to one day! Four years after opening the line traffic had increased to the point where 21,000 sheep were transported in one week. Dunphail station was the major loading point for cattle, boasting up and down lines and a goods yard. It is claimed that at the time Dunphail had the longest station platform in Britain.

The railway crosses high mountains and open moorlands. Snow and winds with the ensuing drifting was an ever present danger. The artic winter of 1880-81 was particularly memorable. On 17th December a train became snowbound south of Dava station and had to be abandoned. The passengers managed to reach Dava station before the storm increased further. The train was completely buried, and when it was located after the storm, the snow was 60 feet (18 metres) above the coaches. An up train, carrying passengers and cattle was also caught on the other side of the station. Whilst the passengers escaped, the cattle refused to leave the shelter of the trucks, and perished by suffocation. A relief train sent to help also became stuck. 

Until the Inverness to Perth line over Slochd Summit opened in 1898, the main line to London was via Forres and Grantown over Dava Moor. The line became less significant after 1898, but goods and passenger trains ran through both world wars though traffic decreased after the 1950s. Sadly, the line did not survive the Beeching axe and the last trains ran in 1965. Over the next few years, the rails were lifted, land returned to the original owners and the trackbed became steadily overgrown."

The Dava Way Association (DWA) was formed to build, manage and maintain the Dava Way and is staffed entirely by volunteers.

"The Dava Way is an unusually varied railway walk, winding its way from sea level on the Moray Firth through forests, then over the Dava Moor to the Dava summit at 1050 feet (320 metres) before descending into Strathspey. Passing through a wonderful mix of farmland, woodland and moorland, the Dava Way provides an important link between the Speyside Way in the south, from Grantown, and the Moray Firth Trail to the north, from Forres. This beautiful part of northeast Scotland has a huge amount to offer the visitor and is still relatively undiscovered by walkers and outdoor enthusiasts. On a clear day, walkers on the Dava moor will enjoy views over the Moray Firth as far north as Sutherland, while the skyline to the south is dominated by the Cromdale Hills and the Cairngorm Mountains."

Less than a mile from the trail the Dunphail Distillery is coming along nicely with production due to start in Q4 2022.

They've just launched an independent bottling label based on the trail:

"The Dava Way uncovers, curates and bottles spirits that exemplify and celebrate flavour, balance and uniqueness. Named after the Great Scottish Trail that follows the path of the former Highland Railway passing close to Dunphail Distillery, The Dava Way explores the individuality of whisky – one cask at a time.

Our casks are selected to typify distillery characters, showcase individual production techniques and demonstrate a broad spectrum of maturation styles. Our releases are delivered free from any artifice, colouring or chill filtration - as nature intended."

Their first release is a set of 4

I bought a bottle of the 17yo Orkney - let's see what it's like:

Bottler thoughts:

17yo, 61.3% ABV, Distilled in May 2005, drawn from a single Hogshead #17 in 2022.

Orkney sits outside of the five major whisky producing regions of Scotland and is home to just two distilleries. This release from one of those distilleries has been matured in a single hogshead for 17 years before being bottled at natural cask strength.

Nose: Immediately coastal with hewn rocks, sea breeze and prominent heathery peat smoke. Vegetal notes of leaf mulch, clay and putty follow, supported by sweeter aromas of honey and cooking apples.

Palate: An oily mouthfeel delivers a fulsome island smoke consisting of bonfire ash, sack cloth, preserved lemon, hillside flowers and limestone cliffs.

Finish: Lingering heather-imbued smoke, herbal teas and coastal minerality.

My thoughts:

Appearance: Mid gold in the glass, swirls leave thick lines which bead up slowly and fall as slow thick oily legs.

Nose: A little closed this one, give it time and you'll be rewarded with gentle heathery smoke, a little salinity and notes of tropical fruit: dried pineapple, mango and banana chunks from a tropical mix.

Palate: Thick sweet arrival, the oily mouthcoating liquid giving tropical fruit, citrus and maritime sea breeze which hint at Campbeltown. A little sour citrus hints at Caol Ila on Islay, but then the smoke rolls in heathery and salty giving a dry edge to the liquid - we are definitely a bit more northern. A few more sips repeat the tropical mix from the nose: dried pineapple chunks covered in icing sugar to the fore. A little time and air reveals a more complex citrus note: lemon zest and sour grapefruit balancing the sweetness; grass clippings, a little milk chocolate and a little vanilla round it off.

Finish: Lingering dry smoke, a little salinity, citrus and tropical fruit.

Overall: A yummy dram, not like your usual Highland Parks - sorry Orkney's, most of which have a bit of sherry in the mixture, this one is a single cask bourbon. It reminds me a little of a Cadenhead bottling I have - I'll have to hunt it out and try the side by side. Not once do you think about the 60.3% ABV so I didn't add any water. I've a full bottle to try so I'm sure I will at some stage - maybe it will open the nose a little? There's only 300 bottles of this so I'd buy one before they disappear! N.B. it's a lovely tight fitting cork on these bottles, makes a fantastic noise when pulled from the bottle!

 

This is the first cask Matt (Director of Whisky Creation) has bought, here's his thoughts on the bottling:

Construction photos from Simon Burgess @TheWhiskyNovice October '22