Dufftown 8 Years Old (46%)

This official Dufftown, an 8 year old, at 46%. Dufftown is a nutty, spicy Speyside malt, for decades the heart of the Bell's blend. Eight warehouses on site hold close to 100,000 casks of maturing malt.

It was distilled from unpeated Speyside malt in the distillery's six stills, for a clean, malty Speyside spirit. First fill bourbon gave a fuller vanilla and a touch of coconut from the lactones. Young and extractive, the cask sheds vanillin (vanilla) and toasted sugars (light caramel) over the nutty spirit. The cool Speyside air gives a slow, even maturation in the Dufftown warehouses. For years it made a rich, nutty, spicy spirit in the Bell's style. The town of Dufftown holds the highest concentration of distilleries in Scotland. The clean, grassy spirit shows the cask clearly, vanilla and honey to the fore. Maturation in the eight Dufftown warehouses is slow and steady.

At an approachable 46% it is soft and easy. Nutty malt, green apple and a gentle spice, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Beneath it run apple, malt and a soft honey. A smooth, malty finish ends on apple and a soft spice. This is a smooth, nutty Speyside single malt.