Glendullan 15 Years Old 1993

A 15 year old Glendullan from Gordon and MacPhail, distilled in 1993, at 43%. Glendullan is a Speyside single malt, founded in 1897 in Dufftown, the last of the town's seven distilleries. Its water rises at the Goats Well spring in the Conval Hills above the distillery. Most of its make has always gone to blends, above all Diageo's Old Parr.

It was distilled in onion shaped copper pot stills, giving a fresh, lightly fruity Speyside spirit. Maturation came in an Oloroso cask, layered over the green Glendullan make. Into oxidative maturity, slow air builds tropical esters of mango and pineapple over a creamy depth. Active wood frames the fruit without ever crowding the light Speyside spirit. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and a soft coconut over the fruit. Because the long fermentation keeps the spirit fresh and grassy, the cask shows clearly with time.

Bottled at 43%, it is light and creamy. A fresh, fruity malt with a green edge, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. A green apple and a gentle citrus lift the middle. The finish runs fresh, grassy and clean. This is a Speyside single malt of easy charm.