The green hollow below Ben Rinnes has the look of work rather than theatre, a tidy confluence of barns, kilns and still house where the railway once slipped by and the Dailuaine Burn hurries to the Spey. It suits a distillery whose charms are practical and palpable. The air can smell of malt and warm mash, and in certain weathers there is a faint savoury note that hints at what awaits in the glass.

Founded in 1852 by William Mackenzie, Dailuaine grew into a Victorian powerhouse, at one point the largest malt distillery in Speyside. It was here, in 1899, that Charles Doig’s now-iconic ventilator first crowned a kiln, a clever cupola that drew off peat reek efficiently and went on to define the skyline of Scotland’s distilleries. Fire bit hard during the Great War and forced a rebuild, yet Dailuaine resumed its steady service to blenders and has remained a quiet cornerstone of the Diageo estate ever since.

Depth is engineered in the spirit room. Fermentations run long, the stills are driven briskly, and the condensers use stainless steel rather than copper. That last detail matters: less copper contact means fewer sulphur compounds are scrubbed away, so the new make retains a pleasingly meaty, malty weight. Time in sherry and bourbon casks rounds the edges, bringing baked apple, barley loaf and a low glow of cocoa, while a gentle savouriness runs through the middle.