Dufftown 17 Years Old JM In Celebration 500 Years of Scotch Whisky 1494 1994 (James MacArthur)

A Dufftown of a 17 year old chosen by the bottler James MacArthur, bottled at 58.5%. Dufftown is a nutty, spicy Speyside malt, for decades the heart of the Bell's blend. It became the heart of the Bell's blend after Arthur Bell and Sons bought it in 1933.

The spirit was made on Conval Hills water and condensed in shell and tube condensers, the long ferment building a grassy, fruity character. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, oak lactones lending vanilla and a little coconut. At oxidative maturity vanillin and lactones are fully expressed, the nutty malt deepening over a soft spice. Active wood frames the fruit without overwhelming the smooth Speyside spirit. The clean, grassy spirit shows the cask clearly, vanilla and honey to the fore. Water from Jock's Well and a long ferment give the clean Dufftown make. Years in oak round the spirit, the green apple and malt deepening to honey.

At a hearty 58.5% it carries real weight. Green apple, malt and a soft vanilla, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Beneath it run apple, malt and a soft honey. It finishes smooth, nutty and approachable. This is a smooth, nutty Speyside single malt.