Dufftown 10 Years Old 2013 Cask #144 (Best Dram)

A 10 year old Dufftown from the bottler Best Dram, distilled in 2013, from cask 144, bottled at 58.4%, one of 289 bottles. Dufftown is a nutty, spicy Speyside malt, for decades the heart of the Bell's blend. The Singleton of Dufftown is matured in a mix of ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry oak.

It was run through the stills on water from Jock's Well in the Conval Hills, for the nutty, spicy make Dufftown is known for. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, a soft vanilla beneath the malt. Integration folds eugenol (clove) and vanillin (vanilla) into the malt, the body softer and nuttier. The malty, nutty spirit takes cask flavour well while keeping its Speyside fruit. Its single malt has been sold as The Singleton of Dufftown since 2006, mainly in the UK and Europe. The clean, grassy spirit shows the cask clearly, vanilla and honey to the fore. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and coconut over the fruit.

At a natural 58.4% it is full and nutty. Apple, malt and a soft honey, with a soft vanilla from the oak. The texture is smooth and creamy, the fruit lifted by vanilla. The finish is smooth, nutty and gently spiced. This is Dufftown's nutty, malty Speyside style.