Dufftown 20 Years Old 1981 Cask #DL 533 (Douglas Laing)

The Glasgow bottler Douglas Laing bottled this Dufftown, a 20 year old, distilled in 1981, from cask DL 533, bottled at 50%, one of 672 bottles. Dufftown, owned by Diageo, is a workhorse Speyside distillery and the home of the Singleton of Dufftown. Eight warehouses on site hold close to 100,000 casks of maturing malt.

The spirit was mashed in the full lauter tun and fermented long for a clean, grassy make, for a soft, nutty, fruit driven make. It was matured in an Oloroso cask, the wood working slowly into the malt. Through oxidative maturity esters concentrate, apple and pear turning honeyed over the malty body. The cool Speyside air gives a slow, even maturation in the Dufftown warehouses. Maturation in the eight Dufftown warehouses is slow and steady. The Singleton style leans on a mix of ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry oak. It is one of Diageo's largest malt distilleries, making around 5.8 million litres a year.

At 50%, undiluted, it is deep and malty. A smooth, fruity sweetness, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Soft orchard fruit and a nutty malt sit behind the cask. A long, malty finish carries an orchard fruit and a soft nut. This is a smooth, nutty Speyside single malt.