Destilerías y Crianza (DYC – Spain)

Bought: Online Whisky Auction, 8^th March 2016

Ratings:
None as yet but listed here on Whiskybase

This old bottle of the Spanish blend DYC was part of a set of 10 foreign (not Scottish) miniatures I won at auction. I bought a new, full-size DYC 8yo in March 2015 but this is the older ‘fino’ version. Unfortunately I’m not sure when this dates back to and information about the whiskies from Destilerías y Crianza (DYC) are hard to come by. They started producing whisky in the 1960s but I doubt this mini bottle is any earlier than the 1990s.

In the 2006 edition of Jim Murray’s ‘Whisky Bible’ he mentions the DYC blend but without any reference to age or type. He scores it 81/100, which is “good whisky worth trying” and says “thin and graining in parts but the bite is attractive and assertive while the malt comfortably holds its own.”

Sadly there’s no rating on Whiskybase but at least this Spanish dram is listed. As yet I haven’t opened my new 70cl of DYC so this miniature is a perfect opportunity to taste this whisky without opening yet another big bottle. Perhaps I’ll try it as part of a group of non-Scottish whiskies as an exotic ‘foreign flight’.

Here’s Jo of Whisky Wednesday talking about the DYC 10yo (Feb 2016):

DYC 8yo Fino 5cl

Bought: Whisky Exchange, 18th March 2015

Ratings:
90/100 – Whisky Bible 2015
0/100 – Whiskybase (listed but no votes yet)

This year I’ve expanded my whisky collection to include as many examples from around the globe as I can find. I have a map of the world on my wall with pins in countries where I have sourced whisky. This bottle of DYC means I have ticked Spain off the list and stabbed Madrid with a red-topped pin.

The DYC, or Destilerías y Crianza business was founded in 1958 and produced the first Spanish whisky in 1963. DYC is currently a subsidiary of Beam Suntory, who are in turn a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings, Japan. This is very typical in the whisky world, where various distilleries or blenders are owned by the same company, who in turn are owned by an even bigger corporation. DYC was very popular in Spain during the 1990s. The advertising slogan “people with no complex” was aimed at Spaniards not wanting to appear pretentious and high class by purchasing imported whisky.

The DYC 8-year-old (aged for 8 years in American oak casks) is the only Spanish whisky mentioned in the Whisky Bible. The author, Jim Murray, says “I really am a sucker for clean, cleverly constructed blends like this. Just so enjoyable!” 90/100 classifies this blend as “brilliant”. I don’t know if Jim Murray drank the DYC neat but, according to Wikipedia, it’s commonly mixed with Coke or Fanta.