Macduff 12yo, 2007-2019, Old Particular
ABV: 48.4%
Region: Highlands
Price per bottle: °°
Bottling: Douglas Laing (Fellows Bottling "Heinz W")
Cask type: Refill Hogshead (# DL13453, 376 btl.)

 

Colour: Pale gold.
Nose: Immediately fruity in the nose with ripe pears, green apples, some banana and a hint of fresh lemongrass. Then creamy vanilla notes with honey, accompanied by spicy oak and ginger. Very intoxicating.
Palate: The wonderful fruit aromas can also be found on the palate. Complex fruit compote with pear and apples, accompanied by creamy honey notes, vanilla and ginger biscuits. Then warming spices with some pepper, oak and fresh ginger spice.
Finish: The finish shows a medium length with initially sweet and creamy honey notes, which then merge into somewhat baked bread, crispy malt and hints of pine resin with dry oak tones.
With water: Fresher on the nose when a few drops of water are added. Still fruity with pears but there's also a caramel note coming through, together with malted barley and honey. Creamy and prickling on the palate. Very sweet with ripe fruit, vanilla, honey and caramel, followed by a warming mix of oak spice, ginger and anise. The finish is medium long with a creamay sweetness of fruit jam, honey and caramel, becoming somehow drier with oak and ginger on the tail.
Comments: A wonderfully fruity single cask bottling from the Highlands. The refill hogshead gave the Macduff a beguiling fruit aroma, which is accompanied by sweet vanilla and honey notes and rounded off by a pleasantly warming spice. It is a dram that one can enjoy for a long time, preferably in good company, and which reveals many hidden aroma components while breathing.

 

I thank Douglas Laing & Co for the photograph!


Macduff 10yo, 2006-2017, Whic, Sujet II
ABV: 55.0%
Region: Highlands
Price per bottle: °°
Bottling: whic (Whiskycircle)
Cask type:
Ex-Bourbon Cask, Madeira Hogshead Finish for more than 8 Months (#8102349/2006, 400 btl.)

 

Colour: Gold.
Nose: Exotic fruits on the nose with pineapples, mango and apricots, nicely mixed with apples and vanilla. Toffee, hints of floral notes and ginger spice in the background. The alcohol is noticeably present but not pungent.
Palate: Sweet and creamy on the palate with fruits, bright green grapes, malted barley and vanilla. This is immediately followed by a bold and warming spiciness of pepper, ginger and tender oak. Lingering notes of nougat and mocha towards the finish.
Finish: The finish is medium-long, creamy sweet and warming with pepper and spiced oak. Slightly bitter grape peel and dark chocolate on the tail.
With water: Fresher on the nose when a few drops of water are added. Plenty of vanilla and more floral notes are coming through, while the fruitiness and the alcoholic bite are both tamed. Sweet and creamy on the palate with delicate yellow fruits. Slightly warming with prickling oak and tamed spices. The finish shows medium length with creamy and fruity notes, followed by dry dark chocolate, espresso and increased oak spice.
Comments: This Highland malt is very delicate, quite intense and impressive. Shows some similarity to the Fettercairn bottling (Sujet I), with the delicate exotic fruitiness being more present. The oaky spiciness is well balanced with the lovely sweetness and fruitiness of the madeira cask. Water shifts the balance towards spicy flavours. A well crafted single malt at a very reasonable price.

 

I thank Arne Wesche from whic (Whiskycircle) for the sample and the photograph!


Macduff 8yo, 2007-2016, Ocean Wonders - Special Edition
ABV: 66.0%
Region: Highlands
Price per bottle: °°
Bottling: eSpirits Whisky for Liquid Treasures
Cask type: Sherry Butt

 

Colour: Deep gold.
Nose: Alcoholic bite at first (no wonder, it is 66% abv!), but behind that curtain there's a lovely fruitiness of ripe pears, apricots and peaches. Creamy vanilla emerges, lingering with subtle sherry flavours, a filigree nuttiness and a whiff of oak in the back.
Palate: Strong and intense on the palate. Tender fruity notes of apricots and peaches, deliciously mixed with creamy blossom honey. This is immediately followed by a bold and steadily increasing alcoholic warmth. Towards the finish, bitter notes of orange peel and grapefruit emerge.
Finish: The finish is medium in length, with warming spices and creamy yellow fruit jam. Slightly bitter with grapefruit and orange peel, mixed with dry oak on the tail.
With water: A decent amount of water opens up this Highland malt. There's more fruits coming through on the nose, intermingling with vanilla and a bit more sherry derived flavours. Sweet and lovely fruity on the palate with pears, peaches and apricots, mixed with custard and creamy honey. Still warming but with a significantly tamed alcoholic bite, followed by spiced oak, cinnamon and a hint of pepper. The finish is a bit shorter with creamy honey and sticky yellow fruit, followed by dry notes of oak and cocoa on the tail.
Comments: A strong, young and spirituous Highland single malt. Shows, however, a filigree fruitiness which is balanced by the wood and tender spiciness. Opens up quite nicely with water and becomes multi-layered, flavourful and pleasantly drinkable.

 

I thank Dailydram.de for the sample and the photograph!