Singleton of Dufftown

The Singleton of Dufftown 18 years old in the glass

Speyside is the home of many big brands and today starts the weeklong festival to celebrate this renowned whisky region. While going through my stack of samples, I noticed a relevant difference between the output of all kinds of Speyside distilleries. Simply put: the bigger and more mainstream the brand, the lower the standard abv is on core range bottlings. Somehow, this feels like a pity, since all these brands that pulled us into the hobby of enjoying and exploring a good glass of (single malt) Scotch, eventually will start to bore us. A whisky enthusiast will – in my view – start exploring depth of smell, taste and finish in their glasses. This works better when a whisky has a bit more to offer. A standard abv of 46 % and upwards is best for that. Obviously, we can also do without chill filtration because we do not scare easily from a slight haze in the glass. In fact, we prefer it. For me, as a consumer, but also as hobbyist, this means I more easily skip the 40 % abv single malts. That may not always be the wisest decision! 

So, today and Wednesday, we will taste two Speysiders at 18 years of age, but bottled at 40 % abv. Take it as a sidenote, because the distilleries deserve the focus. Today we visit a true giant, size wise, in the whisky capital of Dufftown. Producing 6 million litres of alcohol per year, it is indeed one of the bigger production sites owned by Diageo. For a few decades, it had a sister distillery in Pittyvaich, but that site got demolished in the 1990s. Saved from obscurity and purely being a workhorse, with only a very tasty Flora & Fauna bottling for support, it became more of a household name when the Singleton range of single malts was resurrected in 2006. Dufftown became the single malt for European markets (with Glendullan serving the US and Glen Ord aimed at Asian markets). I tasted quite a few NAS-expressions and the 12 years old, that were fine but nothing special, but today we add up a few more years of maturation.

Singleton of Dufftown 18 years old, bottled at 40 % abv

First things first: A 2021 bottling that matured in refill ex-bourbon casks & seasoned PX and oloroso casks. 

Upon Sipping: Everything you would expect from a nice, smooth Speyside single malt. In this case, beyond the inevitable attack of wood shavings and vanilla, I pick up a modest hint of mint. Given time, some of the sherry influences come through, with a delicate red fruity aroma and some raisins. This Dufftown expression underlines the point made in the intro: what is the potential of this well-rounded and balanced malt if only it was allowed to shine more? 

The taste is simply lovely, but also not challenging. The extra years beyond the equally soft 12 years old expression do add some depth, and on the finish I pick up a robust wood smoke that is very pleasant. The sherry influence translate to a hazelnut exit with enough dark chocolate to make me run to the candy cabinet in my kitchen for a chunk. 

Word to the Wise: A decent single malt whisky, this Singleton of Dufftown 18 years old, and when you buy it you might even sip a few glasses from it at first, before the bottle slowly starts moving to the back of your cabinet, only to be forgotten.

Score: 81 points.