Little Duos, today Dufftown


October 4, 2023

Little Duos, today Dufftown

We've got a larger Dufftown session in the pipe, but in the meantime, let's try the new Prima & Ultima and a proper sparring partner. Dangerous, uncertain fight ahead!

Dufftown 24 yo 1998/2022 (46.2%, Club Qing, 1st fill oloroso hogshead, cask #7725, 161 bottles)

We're in Hong Kong now. Colour: gold. Nose: lovely and unusual, It's almost like opening an old suitcase that hasn't been opened for fifty years. Inside you find old books, mothballs, clothes, wax, paint, patchouli and sprigs of lavender, bars of chocolate, iron objects (perhaps an old pistol), coins, and many other things. It's a rather poetic nose, in short. Forgot to mention chocolate, a lot of chocolate. Mouth: orange marmalade, loads of chocolate, walnut cake and a touch of rubber. Marzipan and lavender sweets in the background. Finish: rather long, with more walnuts yet, some manzanilla and some orange squash. It remains a little uncommon. Some kind of mineral oil and something metallic in the aftertaste. Comments: at times you could think of some Bowmores from the 1980s, except that this is incomparably better, in my opinion. Assets rather than flaws in this context. High-class slightly whacky Dufftown, I'm not sure we've had many.
SGP:552 - 87 points.

The Singleton of Dufftown 37 yo 1985/2023 (47.7%, OB, Prima & Ultima, American oak hogshead, 511 bottles)

It is so joyful for me to taste these old whiskies without finishing in bizarre casks. Granted, they did it very well in previous years, but in the end, I believe natural is always better when the original distillate had no flaws. Colour: gold. Nose: this time again I'm finding many old books and magazines, with a 'cardboard dust' side that's working very well in this context. The raw malted barley is still there too, together with some sunflower oil, a little castor oil, overripe apples and melon and peach skins. Very barley-y too. Mouth: delicious breakfast malt. What I mean is that should you have a wee glass for breakfast, this style would work best in my opinion. Some croissants, apple liqueur and juice, green banana, some very soft honey (acacia) and some citron liqueur, as they make in Corsica. Yeah I know, Corsica is complicated these days. Finish: not very long but smoooooth, fruity and extremely moreish. Comments: This is another one to categorize under 'dangerous old malts', the ones that are so drinkable... Lovable easy style.
SGP:641 - 90 points.

Check the index of all Dufftown we've tasted so far