Dufftown 13 Years Old 2009 Cask #700827 (A.D. Rattray)

From the bottler A.D. Rattray, a 13 year old Dufftown, distilled in 2009, from cask 700827, bottled at 50%, one of 268 bottles. Dufftown is a Speyside malt built for the blender's art and now bottled as a single malt in its own right. The town of Dufftown holds the highest concentration of distilleries in Scotland.

Run through the stills on water from Jock's Well in the Conval Hills, for a soft, nutty, fruit driven make. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, oak lactones lending vanilla and a little coconut. Integration folds eugenol (clove) and vanillin (vanilla) into the malt, the body softer and nuttier. The Singleton style leans on a mix of ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry oak. Long ageing turns the fresh apple towards honey, dried fruit and a soft spice. In recent years the ferment was lengthened and the wort run clear for a grassier make. It is one of Diageo's largest malt distilleries, making around 5.8 million litres a year.

At its natural 50% it is concentrated. Green apple, malt and a soft vanilla, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Pear, honey and a creamy malt fill the middle. It finishes smooth, nutty and approachable. This is a smooth, malty Speyside malt from the Conval Hills.