SINGLETON OF DUFFTOWN 17 Year Old 2002 (Special Release 2020)
SINGLETON OF DUFFTOWN 17 Year Old 2002 (Special Release 2020), The only distillery change this year, but it’s still keeping in the same range – Glen Ord (last year’s entry), Glendullan and Dufftown make up the Singleton collection. Dufftown’s the distillery in the range that’s easiest to find in Europe, making this less interesting to me (a Glen Ord fan) than the 2019 Special Releases entry, but former Special Releases curator Maureen Robinson is behind this bottling, and anything Maureen’s had a hand in is worth trying.
This is, in cask terms, one of the most boring whisky in the line-up – it’s all matured in refill American-oak hogsheads. However, I’m a contrary whisky fan who loves refill-cask-matured whisky, so it’s towards the top of my list. Crafted by master blender Dr. Craig Wilson, the theme for this year’s collection is “Rare by Nature.” The Singleton of Dufftown 17 Year is matured exclusively in refill American oak hogsheads. It is bottled at a natural cask strength of 55.1% ABV. Availability is limited in quantities in the US, Europe, Canada, Australia, South Africa, select Asian markets and airport duty free in late fall 2020.
One of the oldest distilleries in Scotland, Glen Ord is steeped in history. Founded on the Black Isle in the Scottish Highlands, it sits on a stretch of land that had been in the possession of Clan Mackenzie for nearly 700 years, when Thomas Mackenzie built the distillery in 1838. It is from this famous Scottish clan that the distillery adopts its motto, Luceo non uro, meaning “I shine not burn” we continue to be inspired by this today, with our emphasis on slow batched distillation.
A more chilled out expression, but still all-round delicious. The nose is waxy with honeycomb and magnolia vibes, while on the palate there’s a cream soda suggestion, along with British orchard fruits. The medium finish has hints of ginger, too.