Dufftown The Managers’ Choice 11 Years Old 1997

Dufftown from the distillery, an 11 year old, from 1997, cask 8153, at 59.5%, 282 bottles in all. Dufftown is a Speyside single malt distilled in the town of Dufftown, the heart of Scotland's malt whisky country. Eight warehouses on site hold close to 100,000 casks of maturing malt.

It was distilled for the nutty, malty character Dufftown is known for, giving the smooth, approachable Speyside spirit. First fill bourbon gave a fuller vanilla and a touch of coconut from the lactones. Through integration spirit and wood marry, vanillin settling into a rounded vanilla as ethyl esters lend a riper apple and pear. The clean, grassy spirit shows the cask clearly, vanilla and honey to the fore. In recent years the ferment was lengthened and the wort run clear for a grassier make. The malty, nutty spirit takes cask flavour well while keeping its Speyside fruit. It became the heart of the Bell's blend after Arthur Bell and Sons bought it in 1933.

At a hearty 59.5% it carries real weight. A malty, nutty sweetness, with a soft vanilla from the oak. The texture is smooth and creamy, the fruit lifted by vanilla. Apple, nut and a soft oak see out the finish. This is a smooth, nutty Speyside single malt.