Macduff 18 Year (2002) A.D. Rattray Cask Collection

Review by: The Muskox

Macduff feels like an easily-ignored distillery. There are those Deveron official bottlings, which are pretty mild and boring, and not all that much in the way of indie bottlings. Maybe there’s something special hidden out of sight.

Distillery: Macduff.

Bottler: AD Rattray.

Region: Highlands.

ABV: 58.5%. Cask strength.

Age: 18 years. Distilled August 20th 2002. Bottled April 12th 2021.

Cask type: Cask #900262, a sherry cask.

Price: $350 CAD.

Color: Light amber. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

Nose: Rich and spicy. Strong honey and butterscotch. Chocolate-covered orange peels, raspberry coulis, and plum pudding. Sweet herbal notes of basil and sage. Some funky molasses.

Water brings strong peach cobbler and orange zest.

Palate: Thick texture, fairly hot. Arrives with orange bitters, nutty cream, demerara syrup, whipped honey, and hint of sulfur. Develops to flamed cedar, fragrant rosemary, dusty leather, and citrus pith. Rich spice notes of cinnamon, clove, and star anise. Sweeter stonefruits and mixed berries on the back end.

Finish: Very spicy. Arrives with caramel and spicy fresh ginger. Loads of caramel on the development, strong oak, overbrewed black tea. Browned butter, fragrant citrus oils, and wild blueberries. A little bit more sulfur and a hint of woodsmoke.

Possible SMWS bottling name: “Pie cooling on herb-stocked windowsill”

Conclusion: Solid but not amazing. It’s a bold and spicy dram, with some real spirit heft propping up the sherry. It really reminds of me a couple Edradours I’ve tried recently, which had this same combination of flavours plus the thick mouthfeel and the heat. This is better than both of those, but not by that much.

Final Score: 82.

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

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