Philharmonia Macduff 16yo 2008/2025

Philharmonia Macduff 16yo 2008/2025

Milroys of Soho
Single malt - Speyside
Dark amber
51.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Figs, dates, raisins, honey, cloves, fresh baked bread, orange peel, cinnamon, vanilla sponge. With water, orange peel, vanilla sponge, cinnamon. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, hot, expands, oily. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Dates, raisins, cloves, orange peel, coffee, black pepper, black tea, vanilla sponge. With water, orange peel, coffee, cinnamon, vanilla sponge. 
Finish: Medium. Coffee, black pepper, raisins, cloves. 

Comments: 

Cask 130900362. A really decent sherried dram, bottled by Milroys for the London Philharmonic. Lots of bready raising notes, with the obligatory dried fruit. Water brings out some spicy coffee notes, almost like a tiramisu.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Macduff 2009 (Private Cask Sample)

Macduff 2009 (Private Cask Sample)

Private Cask Sample
Single malt - Speyside
Amber pink
62.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cinder toffee, burnt sugar, strawberry jam, blackberries, tyre rubber, cream. With water, cream, yoghurt, malted grains. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, tingly, hot, oily. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Lemon zest, blackberries, cinder toffee, cream, fresh cut grass, malted grains. With water, malted grains, yoghurt, tyre rubber, hints of black pepper. 
Finish: Long. Lemon zest, blackberries, malted grains, fresh cut grass. 

Comments: 

Thank you SM. Spent time in a bourbon cask and almost as long in a Chateau de Palmer wine cask. Quite fruity and mild, but with a little edge of burnt sugar and rubber. Complex and interesting.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Macduff 13yo 2009/2023

Macduff 13yo 2009/2023

Strictly Limited, Carn Mor
Single malt - Speyside 
Amber
47.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Aluminium foil, orange peel, dried pears, pomeloes, green tea, dried apricots. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, hot, turns airy. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Malted grains, orange peel, dried pears, green tea, clay dust, lemon zest, hints of cloves. 
Finish: Short. Green tea, dried apricots, lemon zest, hints of cloves. 

Comments: 

Slightly metallic and dusty, but laden with heaps of dried fruit and peel. It’s only got a couple of layers of flavour, but they’re really very good layers indeed.

Verdict:

I like this.

Macduff 20yo 1997/2017

Macduff 20yo 1997/2017

Samaroli
Single malt - Speyside 
Dark gold
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Marmalade, vanilla ice cream, fresh baked bread, raisins, cocoa nibs, hints of black tea. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens, turns syrupy, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Marmalade, raisins, cocoa nibs, dried orange peel, oats, hints of lemon zest. 
Finish: Medium. Chocolate, cocoa nibs, marmalade, lemon zest. 

Comments: 

Cask 5869. Quite rich and sweet, lots of robust chocolate underneath the fruit. There’s a little bit of citrus and cereal as well, quite wonderful whisky. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Macduff 11yo

Macduff 11yo

Hepburn’s Choice, Langside Distillers
Single malt - Speyside 
Yellow gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Dark chocolate, lemon sweets, malted grains, grapefruit, hints of camphor, hints of white grapes. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, syrupy, thick, expands slightly.  
Tasting:  Salty sour. Lemon sweets, malted grains, fresh baked bread, sea salt, hints of dried pears. 
Finish: Medium. Walnuts, fresh baked bread, malted grains, hints of dried pears. 

Comments: 

Quite a savoury whisky. There are tart, and even slightly sweet notes, but it’s really sea salt, malty walnuts and some camphor. I liked it, it was unusual and not your usual Macduff.

Verdict:

I like this.

Macduff 30yo 1990/2020

Macduff 30yo 1990/2020

Extra Old Particular, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Speyside
Mahogany
48.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, menthol, blackcurrant, honeycomb, carrot cake, hints of roast pork. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, astringent, hot, mouth coating.  
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Black tea, menthol, carrot cake, honeycomb, raisins, kiwi fruit. 
Finish: Long. Menthol, black tea, raisins, carrot cake. 

Comments: 

Cask DL13918. This is heavily sherried single cask Macduff, reasonably similar to the 30 year old Glen Deveron, but more intense of course. It’s rather like a delicious cough mixture, tingly and mentholated, and it certainly opens up one’s passages. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Macduff 8yo 2009/2018

Macduff 8yo 2009/2018

Cask Collection, AD Rattray
Single malt - Speyside
Pale gold
57% ABV
Dram

Nose: White chocolate, honey, fresh cut grass, white tea, hints of coffee. With water, sugarcane, vanilla, more white chocolate. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, oily, loose, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sweet. White chocolate, coffee, white tea, raisins, orange peel, hints of dried apples. With water, coffee, dried apples, hints of strawberries. 
Finish: Short. White tea, dried apples, coffee, white chocolate. 

Comments: 

A strong, sweet, chocolatey Macduff. Lots of dried fruits too, and a really lovely smooth mouth feel. It smooths out a bit with water, turning slightly bitter, but even more dried and red fruits. In fact, all the young 2018 AD Rattrays I've tried have been really good. Excellent whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.

Macduff 21yo 1997/2018

Macduff 21yo 1997/2018

Old Particular, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
51.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Barley sweets, honey, shortbread, raisins, hints of soy sauce, hints of leather. With water, lemon sweets, barley sweets, hints of soy sauce. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, chewy, slightly oily. 
Tasting:  Bitter salty. Barley sweets, honey, raisins, dark chocolate, orange peel, leather, hints of iron filings. With water, dark chocolate, orange peel, soy sauce. 
Finish: Long. Chocolate, orange peel, shortbread, soy sauce. 

Comments: 

DL Cask 12943. The nose on this one doesn't fit the taste. There's glorious promise of sweet barley, citrus and shortbread, but on the tongue this doesn't translate into sweet flavours. The whisky is bitter, and slightly salty. With water, this opens up into bitter chocolate and a touch of soy sauce. Interesting whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.

Macduff 8yo 2009/2018

Macduff 8yo 2009/2018

Provenance, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Speyside
Silver
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Sandalwood, lemon juice, malted grains, cloves, hints of cinnamon, hints of orange peel. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, volatile, airy. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. White grapes, sandalwood, cinnamon, orange peel, hints of peaches. 
Finish: Short. Honey, white grapes, white tea, peaches, hints of malted grains. 

Comments: 

Cask no DL12603. A young Macduff, but quite complex, spicy and fruity. It's a tad bitter though, and that jars more than a little. Nice tannic finish, but short. I didn't finish the dram, and I didn't feel the loss.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Glen Deveron 10 yo

Glen Deveron 10 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Coffee, chocolate, marzipan, honey, orange peel. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, turns watery, slightly astringent, loosens. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Chocolate, honey, marzipan, orange peel, raisins, hints of cream. 
Finish: Short. Coffee, dark chocolate, marzipan, raisins. 

Comments: 

My second ever Macduff, it's not a whisky that's easily available outside travel retail, and I don't drink in bottles really. It's chocolatey and almondy, sweet and luscious. There's a slightly bitter note in the finish, as there often is with many good whiskies. Excellent stuff.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Macduff 16 yo 1989/2005

Macduff 16 yo 1989/2005

Authentic Collection, WM Cadenhead
Single malt - Speyside
Pale amber
59.8% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Malty beer, leather, brine, peanuts, black pepper, hints of iodine. With water, more fragrant, honey, marmalade, hints of molasses.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, loosens, smooth.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Peanuts, black pepper, cardboard, vanilla, salt caramel, leather, brine. With water, sweeter, more vanilla, custard, marmalade.
Finish: Long. Iodine, salt caramel, peanuts, vanilla.

Comments:

I don't often drown my whisky in water. Even the 70%+ (!) whiskies that I've had needed a touch, or two touches, from my water jug. This one, however, improved a lot with a large slug of water. It was a better dram at around 40%, or just under, than at nearly 60%. Maybe they took it out of the cask too early...

Verdict:

I like this.