Dufftown 15 Year Old Flora & Fauna

Today I tasted two Dufftown whiskies head-to-head, even though they are pretty different. The first one is the 15 Year Old from the Flora & Fauna series (the only official release from Dufftown for a very long time, until the Singleton was released in 2006). Next to that is the Dufftown 1979/1997 single cask (refill sherry wood, ref MM1489) from Murray McDavid. Let’s start with the younger one.

The nose is simply marvelous, provided you take your time for it. It starts very gentle with flowers and apples, but soon the aromatic bomb explodes: hazelnut, almonds (marzipan), brésilienne, toffee and a tad of smoke (although I could be imagining that).

It’s soft and mellow on the palate, but spicy (nutmeg) during the attack. This doesn’t last long, though. I get nuts and marzipan. The finish is a touch too oaky for me. Short and drying. This is a good malt, but apart from its wonderful nose not that interesting. Much better than the 12 year old Singleton of Dufftown, but absolutely no match for the Dufftown 1979 from Murray McDavid that I’m sampling with this one. If you can still find it, expect to pay around 50 pounds for it.

Find where to buy Dufftown whisky