Vintage Malt Whisky Co ‘Coopers Choice’ Macduff 2008 (7 year old) 46%
Cask 9604 Bourbon/ Sherry Finished
Dist: 2008 Btl: 2015/ Tasted: May 2016
Well you can’t say that this lacks distillery character! Stinky, sulphury and as hard as nails! Throw in some sour fruit and cardboardy notes and you have the full-on Macduff experience!
The palate is classic Macduff. Hard, industrial with a cacophony of unpleasant characteristics – sulphur, rubber, grubby spices and earth!
The Single Cask Macduff 1997 (19 year old) 53.5%
Cask 5278/ Dist: 1997 Btl: 2016/ Tasted: Jun 2017
OMG! Amazingly fresh, fragrant and almost perfumed with orange blossom honey, white fruit, apricot and mature, dusty oak. Where’s the burnt rubber and funkiness? Impressively clean with a touch of baked apple and lime. Very juicy and wonderfully balanced.
The palate is a little edgier but still pretty clean, with barley husks, cereal and lovely soft honey and mature oak. Supple wood tannins add hints of coffee and spice on the middle and the finish is long and grippy with those wood spices dancing on the tongue. Lovely length with lingering baked apple, hickory, grainy and coffee’d tannins. I’m seriously impressed by the progression and the cleanliness!
The Rebels ‘Guerilla Casks’ Macduff 2006 (14 year old) 51.4%
First Fill Cotes de Roussillon Cask 350236
Dist: Oct 2006 Btl: Mar 2021/ Tasted: Jun 2022
The nose opens with hard barley and herbal red fruit with hints of ginger, dark chocolate and tannin. The distillery character is front and centre here, so all that lovely Macduff character isn’t impacted by the cask! Late green fruit and citrus.
The palate opens with sweet and syrupy red fruit and spice. Industrial barley notes come through along with some generous tannin and alcohol. Masked but malty and herbal finish.
Water brings out a slight sulphur note and emphasises the herbal character. The palate is rather watery with sugary red fruit.
Skene Cask Classics Macduff 2009 (8 year old) 46%
Bourbon Hogshead 900273/ Dist: Mar 2009 Btl: Jun 2017/ Tasted: Apr 2018
The nose is quite clean, if a little neutral with hints of barley, toffee and malt.
The palate is subtly barley’d with a touch of apricot, honey and malt. Again clean but simple. Medium length with lingering barley and honey.
North Star Macduff 2006 (11 year old) 55.2%
Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Dist: Nov 2006 Btl: May 2018/ Tasted: May 2018
Clean and barley’d on the nose with lemon balm, lime and just a suggestion of industrial hardness. Hints of gooseberry, honey, vanilla and coffee follow along with late notes of nettles and cinnamon sticks.
The palate opens with the honey and edgy green fruit (gooseberry, lime). Again there’s a faint industrial barley note, but it’s well contained and it is Macduff after all! Slightly dusty spice middle with some grippy tannins. A little masked on the finish but quite nutty and juicy with lingering coconut and white chocolate.
Diluted the nose is heavier and oilier. There’s less citrus and more vanilla oak and some fragrant barley. The palate mirrors the nose. The oak is softer and the barley less industrial.
Murray McDavid ‘Benchmark’ Macduff 2007 (10 year old) 46%
Sherry Butt 900594/ Dist: 2007 Btl: 2018/ Tasted: Feb 2019
Aromas of hard barley, acetone and plasticy vanilla. Hints of rich sherried dried fruit and leather follow. Becomes quite spicy as the sherry begins to dominate, thankfully!
The palate opens with industrial barley, followed by vanilla custard, sherried dried fruit and spice. Its actually quite well balanced but the acerbic citrus and industrial notes start to come through. Short, hot and industrial with bitter oak and astringent spirit notes.
Mossburn No29 Macduff 2007 (14 year old) 56.4%
Ruby Port Finish/ Batch: 05.1107.29
Dist: 2007 Btl: Nov 2021/ Tasted: Apr 2022
The nose is hard and earthy with the alcohol being rather noticeable. Subtle porty red fruit, syrup and vanilla follow. There’s an astringent note in the background which is giving sourness to the fruit. Late dark chocolate powder.
The palate opens with the sweet porty red fruit with subtle earth and barley. Alcohol, astringent spirit and citrus comes through. Masked, tight finish.
Water makes the nose less astringent and emphasises the red fruit. Likewise on the palate, but it also brings out the hard distillery character. Longer with more herbal and malty notes.
Lady of the Glen Rare Cask Macduff 2009 (13 year old) 57.5%
Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Cask 4093
Dist: May 2009 Btl: Oct 2022/ Tasted: Nov 2022
Aromas of hard barley, white fruit and honts of peat, astringent green fruit – gooseberry, kiwi skin and under-ripe pear. Edgy, mineral and industrial with late cocoa powder and cream. Overall, it’s pretty clean for a Macduff!
The palate is quite oily and slightly honeyed. Showing a bit more oak vanillins makes it feel fuller. The green fruit notes are subtler as are the industrial barley notes. Good fruitiness on the middle with apple, pear and apricot coming through. Hang on Macduff.. Fruit….Wow! A touch of earth and peat follows. Slightly masked, liquorice, raw barley finish.
Water makes the nose less astringent and fuller. It now displays some almost Alsace-esque white fruit, peach and some delicate background smoke. The palate is also fleshier and more honeyed and more oaky, however the faintly astringent green furit is still there and offers a counterbalance to the sweetness. Good length, if a little perfumed on the finish with lingering vanilla and off-bitter spice. In Conclusion: A very impressive Macduff and I can’t remember the last time I said that!
Edition Spirits ‘The First Editions’ Macduff 1998 (20 year old) 54.9%
Bourbon/ Code: EDI0516
Dist: Nov 1998 Btl: 2019/ Tasted: Oct 2019
Dense, malty, earthy aromas with stewed apricot and apple. The malt notes become quite fragrant and subtle mature vanilla and spices appear. For a Macduff that’s a very impressive nose.
The palate is malty and oaky with vanilla, baked apple. It has a surprising lightness of touch and one could almost go as far as saying an elegance. Clean barley and orange conserve on the middle. Good length with lingering fragrant malt.
Water b rings out hints of tangerine and orange along with a light granulated sugar note. The palate is softer and less malty and a bit simpler but it still has a lovely clean barley and gentle spice finish.
Edition Spirits ‘The First Editions’ Macduff 1997 (21 year old) 51.5%
Bourbon/ Code: EDI0420/ HL15606
Dist: May 1997 Btl: 2018/ Tasted: Dec 2018
Aromas of manuka honey and dusty/ hard barley. Hints of vanilla oak but the honey (surprisingly) takes centre stage. Subtle greengage, kiwi, apricot, nuts and toffee with time.
The palate is full and malty with plenty of toffee and honey. Slightly industrial (well it is Macduff after all!) but those notes are relatively well hidden. Hints of greengage and apricot on the middle. Long and juicy but edgy with lingering hard spice and subtle dark chocolate.
Cask Noir Macduff 10 year old ‘The Thane of Fife’ 56.2%
Ex-Pedro Ximenz Cask
Tasted: Dec 2022
An earthy, herbal and treacly nose with lots of raisinated fruit, walnut, vanilla, cream toffee, pepper and nutmeg. Cask 1 v Spirit 0.!
The palate is soft, sherried and treacly with again, loads of raisinated fruit, dried plum, prune, pepper, ginger and nutmeg. Slightly masked finish.
Water makes the nose a little perfumed and high toned with a noticeable charred wood, it’s not the most appealing nose now! The palate is unfortunately watery and vague with an innocuous finish.
Whisky According to Chris Whiskyman 