Whisky : Dufftown 9 Year SMWS 91.24 “Rolling in fruit blossom”

Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside

ABV : 59.8%

Cask : First Fill Ex-bourbon

Nose : Floral and woody— sweet cherry blossoms, candle wax, flower petals, and lilikoi-pineapple sorbet.  Clean linens as well as fragrant sandalwood and rosewood develop in the background.

Palate : Warm, fruity, and slightly savory with a medium body.  Sweet candied tangerines, toasted banana, caramelized sugars, and crisp pickled ginger.  Malty sugars ride in on the mid palate and transition to rich vanilla and fruity grape by the end.

Finish :  Long and lingering; toasted marshmallow and warming winter spices.

Score : 6

Mental Image : Wooden Bench in the Hidden Garden.

Something Better : Longrow 15 Year Chardonnay (similar tangerine/citrus, more grill/oil)

Something Similar : Highland Park 18Y, TWE Black Friday 2018 (similar tangerine, more herbal oil)

Something Worse : Longmorn 16 Year (similar fruit/wood, more pastries, less spice)

Notes :  My first Dufftown and quite an interesting one.  This had loads of rich wood notes that competed with the fruity malt to come through on the palate.  While the woodsy notes were stronger on the nose, they faded deep into the background on the palate, and only came through as warm spice on the finish.  The fruity malt rolled out on a more straightforward manner from nose to palate, with loads of malty sugars gradually building and lingering on an incredibly long finish for only 9 years.

This was quite the treat.  There were only a few things that held it back from a higher grade— while the youth provided a punchiness to the palate, it was unmistakable that this was a bit young and awkward with plenty of spirit notes.  The wood and fruit profiles also felt as though they were in competition to come through.  Overall, this was a fine dram and really an excellent choice to sit with on the porch in the late spring as things begin to bloom.