Macduff 21yo, 1992/2013, Old Particular, DL9905, 41.9%
Here known as Macduff, this same distillery is also known as Glen Deveron (its original name) and bears that name for the purposes of its travel retail bottles. Neither is Macduff located in Dufftown for that matter, it is in fact close by the sea, where the Deveron meets salt water. The ‘Duff’ probably comes from being built (1962, young!) on the site of the garden of Duff House, previously owned by the Duffs.
(picture credit – http://www.scotchwhisky.net)
In the stillhouse, things are a little different. There are 5 stills – 2 wash and 3 spirit stills. The 3rd spirit still was added in 1990. Additionally, the lyne arms of the stills have a kink and then lead out to unusual horizontal condensers, which are in turn equiped with mini after-cooling condensers. All this was done to increase the effect of copper on the distillate, could it be that the 3rd spirit still was also added to enhance copper action during distillation?
(Photo credit – Steve Prentice)
(Commercial image)
Ok about that low abv, was it cut? The bottle says ‘Natural Cask Strength’ and Douglas Laing bottles at 51.5% for ‘non-rare’ whiskies aged 19 or older. If indeed uncut, it’s at that zone I feel a little uneasy about. Was it bottled because it’s ready or because the strength was somehow falling too fast.
Nose: Ok a little shy, and it is already at 41.6%. No water. Lemon-lime and teaspoons of clean clear sweet spices: ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, plus white pepper. Ex-bourbon barrel then. Heavily buttered toast and malt. More acetone and unripe green fruit. Pleasant but not very exciting at all.
Palette: Again rather light bodied, with just the tiniest pinch of sweetness. White tea and a tangy fruit infusion. The kind that comes with a fancy name to avoid describing its contents. Some cream plus much more ginger, pear drops, and maltiness. Getting quite lemon pith-y, and tangy sour by the moment.
Finish: More short than medium. Malty and tangy sour.
Ok it’s not bad whisky in the sense of having any off notes, it’s just rather simple and unexciting, and 21 years too.. Must have been a rather inactive and leaky cask. Clearly the bottom line won out over judgement this time.
Whiskyrific RSS
- Millburn 36 yo 1969 / 2005 Douglas Laing #DL2152 50% vs Glenburgie 40 yo 1963 / 2003 Signatory #4751 56.4%
- Ben Nevis 23 yo 1996 / 2019 Single Malts of Scotland for the Nectar #536 51.3% vs A Speyside Distillery 32 yo 1989 / 2022 Thompson Bros 51.4%
- Brora 22 yo 1972 / 1995 Rare Malts 61.1% vs Brora 22 yo 1972 / 1995 Rare Malts 58.7%
- Talimburg 19 yo 1986 / 2005 The Whisky Fair #1485 45.9% vs Talisker 20 yo 1981 / 2002 62%
- Caol Ila 12 yo Bulloch Lade for Zenith 43% vs Caol Ila 30 yo 1979 / 2010 Berry Bros #4604/5 55.6%
- Clynelish 29 yo 1965 Whyte & Whyte 52.1%
- Brora 21 yo 1982 / 2003 Signatory #416 58.4% vs Clynelish 27 yo 1982 / 2009 Synch Eli Daily Dram 46%
- Dornoch 5 yo 2017 / 2023 #46 ‘Jasper Broers’ 57.9% vs Shizuoka ‘private cask’ 2017 / 2022 #2017-108 61%
- Clynelish 26 yo 1993 / 2020 Carn Mor #11215 52.7% vs Bowmore 17 yo 2004 /2021 SMWS 3.327 ‘Siren’s Song’ 57.1%
- Talisker 25 yo ‘Bottle TA25 3987’ 45.8% ~ bottle code L0296CM004 bottled 2020 vs Ledaig 11 yo 2008 / 2019 The Swan Song & 1BRD #700104 58.7%
whiskyrific 