Dufftown 9 year old 1999 Gordon & MacPhail, cask 8787 for Binny's

Dufftown Distillery keeps growing and was, for at least a decade, one of Diageo's two most productive malt facilities (the other being Caol Ila). As its floor maltings were retired in 1968, its still count increased from two to four. 1974 brought its fifth and sixth stills, while the seventh and eighth were added in 1979. Today it runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Apparently people are still drinking Bell's.

I'm not sure if I've ever tried a Dufftown single cask before, so I am grateful that My Annoying Opinions sent me a good-sized pour from his bottle of this old Binny's exclusive. Like Mr. Opinions, I miss the days when access to the Illinois retailer's stock was easier. Sadly I only learned about their bounty a couple of years before their shipping gates closed. No matter how this whisky turns out, I applaud the Binny's crew for selecting a Dufftown when better beloved distilleries' single casks were more available back in 2009.

Distillery: Dufftown

Region: Speyside (Moray)

Owner: Diageo

Independent Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail

Range: Reserve

Age: approx. 9 years (1999-2009)

Maturation: bourbon cask?

Cask #: 8787

Outturn: 217 bottles
Exclusive to: Binny's
Alcohol by Volume: 56.4%

(Thank you, Mr. Opinions)

NEAT

Lots of barley and limes in this nose, with ocean air and tapioca pudding around the edges. Hints of guava and anise appear after some time. There's also something funky going on here, almost manure (a term also used by readers to describe my speculative screenwriting).

The palate starts with limes and barley, and a bit of tannins. It has just a hint of the nose's almost-peated note, which gradually fades as the citrus blooms. It's nice and crisp, I just wish it could shake that oak.

The gently sweet finish holds limes and flowers, with hints of salt and metal. 

DILUTED TO 46%abv

The nose feels more pulled together. Limes and lemons meet fresh herbs. The barley has receded, meeting some vanilla pudding in the middle.

The palate has become leaner and creamier. A curious bitterness works pretty well with the fruit, which tilts more towards mango than limes. Hints of grasses and grains in the background.

It finishes with a menthol glow, some mild bitterness, vanilla and a pinch of barley grist.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This young, lively Dufftown exceeded my expectations. Even though the whisky is all of nine years old, it was bottled at the right time. That oak was ready to jump in and wreck the fun. Mr. Opinions was an even bigger fan of this cask than I, though we agree that dilution lifts up the whisky. Seeing another baby Dufftown exclusive cask arrive in The States would be almost delightful. Would people buy it? Does any "limited" release whisk(e)y not sell out now? Dufftown could put FOMO to the test.

Availability - All gone
Pricing - $50 in 2009
Rating - 84 (diluted)

The Singleton of Dufftown 12 year old

Staying true to form as the blogger who writes about only the sexiest of single malts, I am reviewing two Dufftowns this week.

Built in 1895, Dufftown distillery was in the hands of the Mackenzie family until 1933 when it was brought into Arthur Bell's stable, and it has remained a major ingredient in the Bell's blends ever since, even after both brands were consumed by Diageo.

The Big D rolled out The Singleton malts in 2006: Glen Ord for Asia, Glendullan for North America, and Dufftown for Europe. I reviewed the Glendullan more than ten years ago (sweet Jeebus), finding it lackluster even during that starry-eyed era. Two years later, I found the Glen Ord much more to my liking. It's time to close the loop with a sample of the Dufftown 12yo Singleton obtained from Florin (a prince) at least seven years ago.

Distillery: Dufftown

Region: Speyside (Moray)

Owner: Diageo

Range: The Singleton

Age: at least 12 years old

Maturation: ???

Alcohol by Volume: 40%

(thank you, Florin!)

NOTES

Its nose offers idiosyncrasies missing from the other two Singleton 12s. Aside from familiar but welcoming notes of toasted barley, grapefruit and nectarines, there's something industrial going on, like metal, grease and/or spent synthetic oil. After 30+ minutes, notes of fresh thyme and fermenting garlic float up in the background.

The palate is not Smooth™ like most 40%/filtered/dyed official 12 year olds. It's sharp, metallic and bitter, with something musty going on in the background. With its gentle sweetness, the whole palate is a bit messy, but in an interesting way.

The whisky normalizes in the finish, shedding its oddities while holding onto a barley note. It's tangy, sweet and brief.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This is the first time I've used the word "idiosyncrasies" on this blog until today. Who would have known it would be about one of The Singletons? I'm pretty certain my palate is not on the bad drugs, because I distinctly remember trying this bottle with Florin, and both of us finding the whisky to be very quirky. Or maybe this was just a magic bottle.

Sadly, all of that character could not withstand the 40%/filtered/dyed presentation. May I be the first human on record to request a 46%abv/ncf/nc version of Dufftown 12 year old? In the meantime, I should just try the one cask strength Dufftown I have on hand...

Availability - Worldwide, no longer just for Europeans
Pricing - $30-$45
Rating - 81

Glen Ord 10 year old 2007 Robertsons of Pitlochry

Robertsons of Pitlochry is a cute little shop on the cute little main street in cute little Pitlochry. I visited back in 2016, then my friend Nate did the same a few years later. Robertsons (no apostrophe) has/had some semi-dusties, rare bottlings, and their own single casks. Their picks have been reasonably priced, historically, and while Nate was there he bought a bottle of their exclusive single bourbon barrel Glen Ord. Our Scotch Night crew polished the whisky off at an event 2019, but I saved a sample por moi!

Distillery: Glen Ord

Owner: Diageo

Region: Northern Highlands

Independent Bottler: Robertsons of Pitlochry

Age: 10 years (2007 - 2017)

Maturation: "bourbon"

Outturn: 195 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 56.6%

(from an event)

NEAT

This has one of the lightest colors I've ever seen on a legal single malt. It is nearly colorless.

Ah yes, new make on the nose. Grill marks eau de vie + cotton candy peat ash. Citronella candles, lemon custard and wort. It gets yeastier with time.

The palate is moderately-peated barley eau de vie. Peppery, bitter, slightly vegetal, in the mezcal family.

Pepper, bitterness and sweetness fight it out in the finish.

DILUTED TO 46%abv

The nose becomes more floral and candied. Maybe some apricot? It's plenty yeasty though, still reading like immature peated spirit.

The palate remains mostly mezcal. Slightly sweeter. Some acidic citrus in the background.

The acid moves to the fore in the finish, with mezcal and grapefruit peel in the back.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Sometimes one gets what one asks for, and one shouldn't complain. Much. This is 10 year old whisky that reads like 1 year old malted barley spirit. 'Twas bold of the Robertsons to select this deeply unromantic whisky, and I think I'm the target demographic, but I'd struggle to get more than a quarter of the way through such a bottle. On the upside, it does allow us a sneak peek into what Ord's spirit smells and tastes like.

Next week, not Glen Ord...

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ~€60
Rating - 77

Glen Ord 21 year old 1990 Liquid Sun

I've tried a grand total of one Liquid Sun bottling in this life, but that was a 1989 Bowmore so that may not be the best example of a bottler's single cask skills. And, yes, two single casks are also too small of a sample size. The bad news is that Whiskybase shows no Liquid Sun bottlings since 2015. The good news is that Liquid Sun was actually just part of the larger The Whisky Agency company, which was still releasing single casks as of last year.

Those were all very important sentences. Now I shall drink the whisky.

Distillery: Glen Ord

Owner: Diageo

Region: Northern Highlands

Independent Bottler: The Whisky Agency
Series: Liquid Sun

Age: 21 years (1990 - 2011)

Maturation: refill sherry wood

Outturn: 189 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 49.7%

(from a purchased sample)

NEAT

Its nose and pale color announce this is a very refill cask. Stones and roses (Who wants to be adored?), citron peels and fresh laundry. Lots of apple cider. Liquid sun, indeed.

WOW, this palate is raw. I haven't used the word "austere" since December 2020, but I'll just quote my written notes: "Austere AF." Just burlap and minerals for a very long time. Then some baked apples and lemon juice drift through the background after a half hour.

Lots of heat in the finish, with tangy chiles, stones and apple skins offering cameos.

Let's see if diluting this thing wakes it up at all.

DILUTED TO 43%ABV

Now it noses of apples, yeast, peche lambic, citrons and sugary pastry.

The palate has become bitterer, with no less heat, and just a little bit more sweetness from lemon bars and meringue.

It finishes a bit sweeter too, but still mostly heat and pepper.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

That was one sleepy cask. They might as well have kept this spirit in steel. It's certainly not a modern malt, but it's also laborious to drink. As with Monday's Ord, the beauteous nose wins the day, but whisky is made for drinkin'. A little bit of water helps.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 81 (diluted)

Glen Ord 26 year old 1992 SMWS 77.51

Last week's Diageo distillery review trio belonged to Teaninich, a single malt that turned out to be better than I'd expected. This week, Glen Ord, a malt I tend to enjoy, fills the tasting table. Like Teaninich, Glen Ord is another massive production facility, cranking out ten million liters of alcohol per year, almost entirely for blends. Unlike Teaninich, Ord has its own maltings on site, and may even supply the Tean Machine with malted barley. Unlike its fellow Highland distillery, Ord does utilize mash tuns and is known to produce a lightly peated spirit.

There are no The Singleton of Glen Ords this week. All three whiskies are from independent bottlers, all from single refill casks. I'll start with the oldest, then go backwards again. First up, a 26 year old single cask from The No Homers Club SMWS....

Distillery: Glen Ord

Owner: Diageo

Region: Northern Highlands

Independent Bottler: Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Age: 26 years (19 Feb 1992 - 2018)

Maturation: second fill bourbon barrel

Cask#: 77.51

Cask "name": "Flower power shower"

Outturn: 160 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 46.9%

(from a bottle split)

NOTES

This is the first time an SMWS nose matches the SMWS cutesy name. Like, in the history of humanity. Dandelions, daisies, earth, stones and sidewalks after the rain fill the nose for the first 30+ minutes. Then  cucumber peels, jalapeños, white nectarines, lychee and toffee arrive, one by one.

The palate starts off very grassy, with a hefty herbal bitterness, almost like wormwood. Hints of lychee, mango and guava are in the waaaaaaaay back. It takes a while, but the fruit rolls forward a little bit, and gains cassis and roses while holding onto some of the bitterness.

It finishes with wormwood and guava. Then gradually it switches to guava and wormwood. It gets a little bit sweeter with time as the cassis appears.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

First off, the name makes no sense. Everyone knows that we hippies don't wash. Secondly, The cask's low ABV had me anticipating issues that never came to be. Quite loud enough at this strength, the palate doesn't entirely come together yet isn't a mess. I like some herbal bitterness in my whisky but *whistles*. The nose is a complete delight though, reminding me of the chemistry/alchemy/magic/chemistry that goes on inside a whisky vessel over multiple decades. Thirdly, I have no idea how to grade this, so you should probably just ignore the score. 

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ~€200 back in 2018/2019
Rating - 86?

Teaninich 11 year old 2006 Cadenhead (US release)

SPOILER ALERT: The Teaninich Week whiskies turned out to be much better than I'd expected. In fact, they inspired me to source some more Teaninich samples for future Teaninich Weeks. Team Teaninich!

Several years ago, Cadenhead released seven Teaninich 2006s — four single casks and three double casks, all hoggies, all 10-11 years old — one after the other. Two of them made it to The States. Today's Teaninininich, a 57.2%abv single hogshead, was consumed side-by-side with Wednesday's 2007 from BB&R.

Distillery: Teaninich

Owner: Diageo

Region: Northern-ish Highlands

Independent Bottler: Cadenhead

Age: 11 years old (2006 - 2017)

Maturation: bourbon hogshead

Cask number: ???

Outturn: 276 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 57.2%

(from a bottle split)

NOTES

Judging by the nose, this is certainly related to the 2007, but there's more salt and industrial grunge to it. Hints of chalk and mango. More oranges than lemons. The fruit gets funkier with time, like it's over-ripening in my glass. Once the whisky is reduced to 46%abv, the nose focuses on ocean, oranges and Demerara.

Barley and raw nuts mix with guava and lime juices in the palate with hints of both phenols and young cognac in the background. Diluting it to 46%abv awakens some sort of whisky beast, making it bitterer, earthier, sweeter and tarter. Louder.

The long, warm finish has a mix of sweet citrus, fresh herbs and young cognac. At 46%abv, it picks up more limes and herbs.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

I thoroughly enjoyed this whisky, with its old school character and swimming skills putting it ahead of the BB&R 2007. And once again I'm thankful the indie bottler released it as is, with no extra oak fluffing. Once (or if) the international whisky market welcomes reasonable people back into the bottle-buying game, this is exactly what I would look for: 10-15 year old single malts, minimal cask influence, lots of character. Now onto other Diageo distilleries...

Availability - U.S.A.
Pricing - $80-$90, I think
Rating - 88

Teaninich 11 year old 2007 Berry Bros & Rudd

Let us (the royal us), keep the Teaninich party going with something slightly more contemporary, an 11 year old single cask from the Berry Bros. As referenced in the previous post, the distillery switched over to a mash tun-free, hammer mill + mash filter approach in 2000. The result is a huskless flour that turns into a nearly-clear wort. Whisky Magazine has a post that explains the process, but I warn you, the lack of paragraph breaks may drive you insane.

To the whisky!

Distillery: Teaninich

Owner: Diageo

Region: Northern-ish Highlands

Independent Bottler: Berry Bros. & Rudd

Age: 11 years old (2007 - 2019)

Maturation: ???

Cask number: ???

Outturn: ???

Alcohol by Volume: 55.9%

(from a bottle split)

NOTES

The lovely neat nose leads with barley, citronella, lemons and pineapple. Cardamom and mint candy notes develop later on. Despite these notes, the whisky doesn't come across as very sugary when neat. But when reduced to 46%abv, it's nearly all sugar. The actual fruit essences retreat, and some mineral notes appear.

The malty mouth has a good balance of tart and sweet. Lime juice + tangy oranges + cayenne pepper. It ditches the sweetness with time, picking up some stones, turning into something like a dry white from Bordeaux. Dropping the abv to 46% delivers what the diluted nose promised: lots of sweetness. Malt and limes swim around in the sugar and heat.

A nice raw almond note combines with tart limes in the finish. Malt and oranges appear later on. Though it's neither too sweet nor too hot, the finish has a good length to it. At 46%abv, the finish gets hotter and sweet, while some of the limes hang on.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This would be a very comfy summer whisky when one desires something stronger than the aforementioned Bordeaux whites. At full power, it's pretty and easy to consume but loses its charm a bit once diluted. I appreciate BB&R bottling the whisky at this point. Though it's not the most complex Highland single malt, this Teaninich could have taken on some undesirable tannins after a few more years in oak.

Availability - Germany, I think
Pricing - €65-ish
Rating - 85 (neat only)