Review by: Raygun

Back with another from a set of minis from TBWC that I bought, all 10-12 years, unpeated, in bourbon casks. Figured it was a good way to get acquainted with the brand. The Macduff and Miltonduff were pretty decent. The Blair Athol, however, was not good. This is the fourth of five, and I’m not filled with confidence. Dufftown is mostly known for being one of the malts used for the Singleton brand. Even the couple of IBs I’ve had haven’t been anything special, and a 10 year old at under 50% is not promising. But we’ll find out. Rested about 15 minutes.

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Distillery: Dufftown

Bottler: That Boutique-y Whisky Company

Region/style: Speyside single malt Scotch

ABV: 47.8% 

Age: 10 years

Cask type: Unstated, but has to be bourbon.

Color: 0.2 pale straw. Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.

Price: About $31 for the set of five, or just over $6 each.

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Nose: Pleasant enough. Mostly apples with a side of peach and some digestive biscuit. Maybe a bit of heather. 

Palate: What a nice surprise. I was skeptical as heck, but this is good. Very nice fruit. Apples, peaches, apricots, even some dried papaya. Good cereal backbone with some honey. A little grassy, but it blends well. Bright and refreshing.  

Finish: More cereal and honey. Apple lasts, and a little of the peach. It’s a little heavier on the cereal/digestive biscuit side, but still bright. Got some weight to it despite the lower ABV. 

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Conclusion: Much better than my expectations, which were quite low. A pleasant surprise for sure. Based on the age and very pale color, there isn’t a lot of cask influence here. An approach which doesn’t always produce great results, but this has got some nice malt character. I enjoy the fruity and biscuity aspects. Pretty tasty. Best of this pack of minis so far, with one left.

Buy a bottle? Would get a bottle at the right price. Even more interested in trying some older Dufftown now.

Final Score: 79

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky. (Convalmore 36)
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1)
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Ledaig 13 Amontillado)
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Tomatin 18)
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Glen Scotia 15)
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Aultmore 12)
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Glenmorangie 10)
• 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Pulteney 12)
• 0-49: Blech. (Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16)