Dufftown 9 Years Old 2009 Cask #700212 (BB&R)

The London house Berry Bros and Rudd bottled this Dufftown, a 9 year old, distilled in 2009, from cask 700212, bottled at 46%. Dufftown is a Speyside single malt drawn from Jock's Well in the Conval Hills. It became the heart of the Bell's blend after Arthur Bell and Sons bought it in 1933.

Made on Conval Hills water and condensed in shell and tube condensers, building the smooth Dufftown style. A bourbon barrel held it, the wood adding a light vanilla and a soft honey. Young and extractive, the cask sheds vanillin (vanilla) and toasted sugars (light caramel) over the nutty spirit. The slow distillation gives a smooth spirit that takes well to the cask. A gentle maturation suits the smooth make, the nutty malt growing richer with time. Long ageing turns the fresh apple towards honey, dried fruit and a soft spice. The malty, nutty spirit takes cask flavour well while keeping its Speyside fruit.

At 46% it is clean and soft. Green apple, malt and a soft vanilla, with a soft vanilla from the oak. The mouthfeel is smooth, the fruit carried on a malty body. A smooth, malty finish ends on apple and a soft spice. This is a smooth, nutty Speyside single malt.