
July 21, 2025

A little trio from Dufftown

We’re talking about the Dufftown distillery here, not the small town of Dufftown itself, which, as you know and as far as I’m aware, is home to Glenfiddich (William Grant & Sons), Balvenie (William Grant & Sons), Mortlach (Diageo), Dufftown (Diageo), Glendullan (Diageo), and Kininvie (William Grant & Sons). Convalmore and Pittyvaich are no longer operational, as you’ll also be aware.

Singleton of Dufftown 12 yo ‘Luscious Nectar’ (40%, OB, +/-2025)

It’s curious, this recent need among distillers to tack names onto age statements, as they’ve done here with ‘Luscious Nectar’, which does sound a little like ‘slop’, doesn’t it? Colour: gold. Nose: light and pleasant, in the style of its same-aged neighbour whose name ends in ‘fiddich’. Malt, bruised apples, multifloral honey, a touch of custard. A slight sense of überblend, if you see what I mean. Mouth: fully consistent, light, malty, faintly herbal, otherwise on nicely ripe apples and a hint of Earl Grey tea. Finish: fairly short, on fruity beer. Comments: woosh, it almost slipped by without notice. Nectar, I’m not so sure. Luscious, certainly not.
SGP:441 - 76 points.

Singleton of Dufftown 18 yo ‘Sublimely Smooth’ (40%, OB, +/-2025)

The last time we tasted the 18 was back in 2013, and it hadn’t exactly blown us away (WF 79). Let’s see if there’s been any progress, even though the word ‘smooth’ tends to send half the malt aficionados running for the hills. But not ‘the neighbours’... Colour: gold. Nose: still rather gentle, though seemingly a notch fuller than the 12, with discreet touches of beeswax, candied orange peel, and the subtlest suggestions of coriander seed and garden-fresh mint leaves. It’s an attractive nose, not exactly a bomb, but undeniably charming in its soft-spoken way. Mouth: alas, the 40% strength no longer quite does the trick, even if the profile holds together with notes of orchard apples and Valencia oranges lightly steeped in honey, along with a barely-there hint of mild Espelette pepper. One might dream of this elegant arrangement being issued at a more conversational 45% vol. Finish: shortish but by no means hollow, with lovely, warming spices and a rather endearing finale on lemon and orange marmalade toast. Comments: appears to have fared better than last time, though after twelve years, such judgments inevitably carry a dash of speculative romance.
SGP:451 - 80 points.

Come on, let’s call on the good old days…

Dufftown-Glenlivet ‘Over 8 Years Old’ (80° proof, OB, Arthur Bell for Sposetti Genoa, cork stopper, 1960s)

Attention, there have been sublimely stellar versions of this 8-year-old, such as the one for Ghirlanda in Italy around 1968 (WF 92). 80° UK proof equates roughly to 46% vol., as you know. Colour: gold, very slightly bronzed. Nose: and here we are, metal polish, bone marrow quenelle soup, braised chicory, top-flight mead, antique orange liqueur and the faintest, most discreet trace of cork, almost imaginary. Mouth: a hint of peat smoke, old raisins in a tin box that clearly predate the moon landing (they do last forever), ancient herbal liqueurs, and without doubt a touch of tiredness that veers into pine resin territory more than it ought to. Finish: long, though slightly bitter, remaining on fir bud liqueur and resinous notes throughout. The aftertaste leans towards salted honey. Comments: it’s always a bit of Russian roulette with these old bottles, and timeworn corks rarely do favours, but there’s still a clear glimmer here, after sixty years or more, of the intergalactic calibre this juice once possessed, even if it’s now re-entered Earth’s atmosphere. Right.
SGP:571 - 85 points.

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