Macduff 2011 The Single Malts of Scotland Small Batch 12 yo

 

 

 

48°

Distillery : Macduff - Highlands

Refill Sherry Butts

Independent Bottling 

By Elixir Distillers 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2024

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

For a launch worthy of the new Small Batch sub-range, which replaces Reserve Casks, the gentlemen at Elixir Distillers had a few surprises up their sleeves. This Macduff, for example, was bottled in 2024, but only went on sale in October 2025. It is a blend of four refill sherry butts, which gives it a slightly fruity flavour. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Attractive woody character on the nose, with hints of hazelnuts and chestnut cream. But it is also airy, with fruity and farmyard notes. Cut hay, raisins, apricots, chocolate fondant, caramelised orange peel. On the palate, creamy honey, peach purée, light caramel, a few blueberries. Mild spices, almond paste, cinnamon and nutmeg. Fairly long, robust finish, fig biscuits, Muscat grapes, freshly ground black pepper, oak bark. A coffee bean in retro-olfaction. Dried grass.

 

In Short, 

This is a distillery that always has its own character and personality. Here, I appreciated how the distillate is enhanced by the Refill Butts, whose influence is subtle. It makes for a very nice daily dram, albeit at a fairly high price. I suggest waiting for a promotion. 

Score : 87

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           Princess Chelsea - Time

Macduff 2008 Fàire - Orizzonti di Riccardo Furini 16 yo

 

 

 

53,5°

Distillery : Macduff - Highlands

Sherry Cask 

Independent Bottling 

By Hidden Spirits 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2025

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

A new addition to this series launched in 2025 by Hidden Spirits, which brings together three bottlings that illustrate the works of Riccardo Furini. This time, it is a Macduff that has spent 16 years in a sherry cask and yielded only 105 bottles. The artwork featured on the label is entitled Orizzonte. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

The sherry is stronger, more intense, forest berries, deep spices, soft bark, black earth, chocolate fondant, heather honey, raisins, braised nuts, a zest of blood orange. In the background, a few discreet mineral notes. Elegant woodiness, mahogany. On the palate, it is rich and balanced, red fruit jam, dates, stuffed figs, soft toffee and a slight pinch of salt. Warm, spicy finish, cocoa powder, hazelnuts and cashews, roots, cooked mushrooms. Filled cabbage. Cinnamon.

 

In Short, 

I really liked it, it has a certain personality, ranging from forest notes to a slight coastal saltiness. The sherry gives it a lovely fruitiness, but also enriches the character of the distillate. However, it is still a little expensive, so I'm not sure if I would recommend buying it. 

Score : 88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           Möng - Ohilen

Macduff 2011 Cadenhead's Original Collection 13 yo

 

46°

Distillery : Macduff - Highlands

Bourbon Barrels

Independent Bottling 

By William Cadenhead Limited 

Limited Edition

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2025

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured 

Totally Unpeated

In my opinion, Macduff is one of the most underrated distilleries. That's why I'm always delighted to discover a new expression. Especially as here we have a very simple maturation in Bourbon Barrels, which gives the distillate free rein.

Let's Taste It : 

The nose is full and fresh, rural, farmy, airy, wind-blown cereals, hints of iodine and undergrowth, evanescent fruit clustering around vanilla. Light coppery tones, waxy patina, plums of all colours, soft butter, toasted wheat, linseed. On the palate, honey, orchard fruit, but it's a little rustic, yellow apples, pears and apricots. A dash of caramel, well seasoned spices. Birch bark. Quite a long, grainy, woody finish, beeswax, raisins, tinder, braised chestnuts. Milk chocolate.

 

In Short, 

A very nice little Macduff, which confirms my feeling about this distillery. To be discovered for its rural and slightly cereal character. It's complex and waxy, like a Clynelish, but milder. The price is a little high, but not too bad. This is the kind of product you should keep an eye on, and occasionally snatch up. 

Score : 88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

                                           Wednesday - Chosen to Deserve

Macduff 2011 East Village Whisky 10 yo 65,2°

 

 

 

65,2°

Distillery : Macduff - Highlands

Sherry Hogshead

Independent Bottling 

By East Village Whisky Company

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2021

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

I'm still exploring some samples from East Village Whisky Company, a German bottler founded in 2017 by Peter Ostendorf, and this Macduff caught my eye. Aged for 10 years in a Hogshead Sherry, it filled 118 bottles. But what intrigued me was the alcohol content: 65.2°. Is the alcohol well integrated? Does this strength translate into a great intensity of flavour? In short, it makes you want to taste it. So I'm going for it. Not to be confused with another Macduff of the same age and distilled in the same year, which can also be found in this bottler's catalogue. As the cask numbers are not available, I differentiate them with the alcohol content. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

The Sherry is intense, with lots of red fruits, blueberries, blackcurrants, acerola, fermented watermelon juice. Slightly burnt wood, earthy notes and liquorice. Cherry clafoutis, blackberry jam, apricot liqueur. Green tomato dough fritters. On the palate, it's syrupy, redcurrants, pomegranate, raspberry coulis, intense spices, nutmeg, hazelnut. The finish is as long as it is explosive, a real shrapnel bomb, salted butter caramel, antesite, melted butter, mahogany, a zest of lemon. Celeriac.

 

In Short, 

It's pretty much what you'd expect. The cask is of good quality, giving a fairly intense Sherry Bomb with rich, varied flavours. The alcohol is fairly well integrated, but it's best to drink another whisky beforehand to prepare the palate. The finish is obviously very powerful, but also very long and deep, which is really the main quality of this whisky. The palate is a little lighter, and the youth of the product is noticeable. They should have waited a few years before bottling, but the alcohol content would have gone down. You can still find a few bottles on Whisky-maniac, a German website that I often visit. If you're a fan of Sherry Bomb, it's worth a try. 

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           Ezra Collective - God Gave Me Feet for Dancing

Macduff 2009 Connoisseurs Choice Cask Strength 14 yo

 

 

 

58,1°

Distillery : Macduff - Highlands

Refill Bourbon Barrel 

Independent Bottling 

By Gordon & MacPhail 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2024

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Lightly Peated

 

 

 

Macduff is a very little known and equally underrated distillery, 90% of whose production goes into blends. Only Signatory Vintage and Gordon & MacPhail, along with a few others, regularly release original bottlings bearing its name, and it's sometimes surprising. Here we have a 14 year old, aged in a single Refill Bourbon Barrel, so we'll be experiencing a distillate with very little cask influence. 209 bottles were produced.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

A rocky and airy profile, with an ethereal maritime breeze. Soft toffee, dates, light white fruits, and a few touches of minerality, slate, quartz, limestone and a couple of grains of salt. Seaweed, spaghetti with squid ink. A dash of vanilla, which is also present on the palate, fine balance between pulpy fruit, bananas, mirabelle plums and some alkaline tints. Perhaps a very light peatiness. Beeswax, woody notes, powerful spices, pepper and cardamom. The finish is just as imposing, but also long, earthy, milk chocolate, chestnuts, maple syrup, cooked cereals, mocha.

In Short, 

It's an excellent product, we're discovering a virtually unknown distillery, which has a completely original profile. The peat is light, and marries very well with the character of the distillate. It's pleasant to drink, nuanced and delicate, but also with character and a real personality. What's more, the price is quite right, so I'm seriously considering getting one.

Score : 90

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           In Th Attic - Impressionist

Macduff 2007 Exceptional Cask 100 Proof Edition #3 16 yo

 

 

 

57,1° (100° Proof)

Distillery : Macduff - Highlands

1st Fill Oloroso Sherry Butts 

Independent Bottling 

By Signatory Vintage 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2024

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

And here's the 3rd bottling from the Exceptional Cask within the 100 Proof range, and this time it's a 16-year-old Macduff. Macduff is a little-known distillery, as most of its production goes into making blends, notably William Lawson. But single malts are also marketed under the Glen Deveron name. 16 Years Old is a relatively rare age for this distillery, and this is an opportunity to discover it at its best.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Full-bodied sherry, ripe mirabelle plums, Italia grapes, yellow plums, apple crumble. Fairly fine woodiness, tanned leather, with vanilla and lemon. Mountain honey. Warm wax. On the palate, the fruit takes centre stage, spicy reines-claudes, pear compote, squeezed oranges, with powerful spices, cloves, nutmeg. The finish is explosive and long, with cumin, a hint of charcoal and wood, and chocolate chips. Damp tobacco, cola juice.  Hints of cereal and malt.   

In Short, 

Here the Sherry is not overpowering, and this is the best Exceptional Cask so far. Of the entire 100 Proof range, I can only see #15, the Secret Orkney, standing up to it. It's a very good product, with fine balance and character, where the fruit stands out and enhances the few cereal notes. What's more, it's still available at a decent price.

Score : 88

                                          To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Hollerhead - Never Gonna Leave You