Singleton of Dufftown 18 yo

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 40% | Chill filtration: Yes | Colouring: Yes

Special Features:

This 18-year-old Singleton of Dufftown combines maturation in bourbon and sherry casks, bringing together American and European oak. Dark toffee and dry wood notes provide a spicy counterpoint to its nutty, fruity character. A note of anise adds another facet to its aromas.

This single malt is offered at 40% alcohol in a 0.7-litre bottle with gift packaging. It received Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2025 and won Gold at the International Spirits Challenge in the same year.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: The nose is soft and autumnal, with sweet cooked fruit, apricot jam, ripe apples and berries. Roasted hazelnuts and walnuts soon follow, along with dry tea leaves and fresh pine resin. The fruit recedes, allowing vanilla, toffee, chocolate and caramel to emerge, while subtle cereal notes balance the sweetness. Water brings out blackberries, pears in syrup, vanilla and polished wood.
• Palate: Sweetness and dryness meet on the palate. Initially light to medium-bodied, it gently coats the tongue. Nuts, dark toffee and gentle mint lead into rhubarb and apple juice. The whisky increasingly coats the tongue, as a hint of almond pastry gives way to wood and light spice. Later it becomes drier, with silky cocoa bitterness, growing spice and sweet fruit taking on darker notes. Water makes it softer and lighter-bodied, with sweet fruit now ahead of delicate mint and liquorice toffee notes.
• Finish: The sweetness gives way to a longer, drying oak finish. Cooked fruit brings freshness, while wood smoke and a hint of black pepper linger.

Distillery/Bottler:

Dufftown Distillery is located in the Speyside town of the same name. Established in a former mill, it began producing whisky in 1896. From 1933 it belonged to Arthur Bell & Sons, supplying an important malt for their blends. Since 2006, Dufftown has also been part of The Singleton single malt brand, alongside Glen Ord and Glendullan.

The distillery uses clear wort, liquid yeast and a fermentation time of 75 hours in steel vessels. This extended fermentation is part of the production of its grassy new-make spirit. An unusual feature of its equipment is that the spirit stills are larger than the wash stills: the stills used for the second distillation are larger than those used for the first. Its water comes from Jock's Well in the Conval Hills.

Facts: