Dufftown 12 Years Old 2008 Cask #CM262 (The House of MacDuff)

This Dufftown was bottled by The House of MacDuff, a 12 year old, distilled in 2008, from cask CM262, bottled at 58.8%, one of 290 bottles. Dufftown is a nutty, spicy Speyside malt, for decades the heart of the Bell's blend. In recent years the ferment was lengthened and the wort run clear for a grassier make.

The spirit was worked through the stills with a creamed yeast for a malty, fruity make, giving the smooth, approachable Speyside spirit. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, a soft vanilla beneath the malt. Through integration spirit and wood marry, vanillin settling into a rounded vanilla as ethyl esters lend a riper apple and pear. Refill oak lets the nutty, malty Dufftown character lead the way. The cool Speyside air gives a slow, even maturation in the Dufftown warehouses. Eight warehouses on site hold close to 100,000 casks of maturing malt.

At its natural 58.8% it is concentrated. A smooth, nutty Speyside fruit, with a soft vanilla from the oak. The mouthfeel is smooth, the fruit carried on a malty body. The close is smooth, fruit over a gentle, spicy oak. This is an approachable Speyside single malt.