Dufftown 14 Years Old 2008 Cask Series 018 (North Star)

The Glasgow bottler North Star Spirits bottled this Dufftown, a 14 year old, distilled in 2008, bottled at 59.5%, one of 241 bottles. Dufftown is a nutty, spicy Speyside malt, for decades the heart of the Bell's blend. It is one of Diageo's largest malt distilleries, making around 5.8 million litres a year.

It was worked through the stills with a creamed yeast for a malty, fruity make, for a clean, malty Speyside spirit. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, oak lactones lending vanilla and a little coconut. In integration lactones (coconut) and vanillin (vanilla) knit with the spirit, the green apple deepening to honey. The clean, grassy spirit shows the cask clearly, vanilla and honey to the fore. The town of Dufftown holds the highest concentration of distilleries in Scotland. It runs a full lauter mash tun, twelve washbacks and six stills, and works around the clock.

At 59.5%, undiluted, it is deep and malty. Nutty malt, green apple and a gentle spice, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Pear, honey and a creamy malt fill the middle. The finish is rounded, malty and gently spiced. This is a smooth, nutty Speyside single malt.