Dufftown - Glenlivet

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THE DUFFTOWN - GLENLIVET

11 years old

58,6 %

Distilled June 79
Bottled Mar 91
Society Cask No. code 91.1
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society,
The Vaults, Leith, Edinburgh
Gelagerd in een sherry vat. Moutig. Heerlijk zoet en schoon van smaak en met een vriendelijke afdronk.

DUFFTOWN

15 years old

43 %

FLORA & FAUNA
Distilled 1977
Bottled 1992
Dufftown Distillery, Keith, Banffshire
Dufftown distillery was established near Dufftown at the end of the 19th Century. The bright flash of the Kingfisher can often br seen over the Dullan River, which flows past the old stone buildingd of the distillery on its way north to the Spey.

This single Highland Malt Whisky is typically Speyside in character with a delicate, fragrant almost flowery aroma and taste which lingers on the palate.

DUFFTOWN - GLENLIVET

8 years old

40 %
FROM THE HOUSE OF BELL'S
Numbered Bottles
Arthur Bell & Sons Ltd, Distillers, Perth

DUFFTOWN - GLENLIVET

21 years old

54,8%

RARE MALTS SELECTION
Natural Cask Strenght
Distilled 1975
Bottled September 1997
Limited Edition
Genummerde flessen
Arthur Bell & Sons, Perth
Dufftown - Glenlivet, Sixt to rise of the seven Dufftown distilleries at the heart of Speyside, Dufftown - Glenlivet's pure water source is as jealously guarded as its prestigious name.

On tasting, the frsh green-gold colour and honeyed nose introduce firm bodied flavours of toffee and fudge, and a gingery, sweetly smoky finish

DUFFTOWN - GLENLIVET

12 years old

59,6 %
CADENHEAD'S
AUTHENTIC COLLECTION
150th Anniversary bottling
Distilled December 1979
Bottled March 1992
No additives
No colouring
No chill filtration
Wm. Cadenhead, 32 Unionstreet,

Campbeltown

DUFFTOWN

17 years old

43 %
THE ULTIMATE SINGLE MALT
SCOTCH WHISKY SELECTION
Distilled 27/11/85
Bottled 28/11/02
Matured in a Sherry Butt
Cask no. 16030
Genummerde flessen
The Ultimate Whisky Company, N.L.

DUFFTOWN 46 %

1 9 9 7

Matured for 14 years

Speyside Single Malt

THE ULTIMATE SINGLE MALT

SCOTCH WHISKY

Distilled: 09/12/97

Matured in a Hogshead

Cask no; 19486

Bottled: 16/10/12

377 Numbered Bottles

Natural Colour

Non Chill Filtered

Selected by The Ultimate Whisky Company.NL

DUFFTOWN

Aged 35 years

49,6 %
THE OLD MALT CASK
SPECIAL CASK STRENGHT
Single Cask Bottling
Matured in Sherry Cask
Distilled 1965 October
Bottled 2001 April
228 Bottles
No Chill Filtration
No Colouring
Bottled at Natural Cask Strenght
Douglas Laing & Co, Ltd, Glasgow

DUFFTOWN

10 years old

46 %

Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

SPIRIT OF SCOTLAND

Distilled 15/05/2002

Selected by Van Wees September 2012

Cask Type: 1st Fill Bourbon Barreel

Cask No: 9589

Bottled: 21/09/2012

Specially Selected produced and Bottled by

Speymalt Whisky Distributors Limited, Elgin

DUFFTOWN

46 %

1 9 9 9

SPIRIT OF SCOTLAND

SELECTED BY VAN WEES JUNE 2013

Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Distilled: 18/08/1999

Cask Type: 1st Fill Bourbon Barrel

Cask No: 8788

Bottled: 30/07/2013

Specially Selected, produced and Bottled

by Speymalt Whisky Distributors Ltd,

Elgin

THE SINGLETON OF DUFFTOWN

Aged 12 years

40 %
Single Malt Scotch Whisky of Dufftown
Traditionally Batch Distilled
Perfectly Balanced, Naturally Rich & Smooth
Dufftown Distillery, Dufftwon, Keith, Banffshire

THE SINGLETON OF DUFFTOWN

Aged 15 years

40 %
Single Malt Scotch Whisky of Dufftown
Traditionally Batch Distilled
Perfectly Balanced, Naturally Rich & Smooth
Dufftown Distillery, Dufftown, Keith, Banffshire

DUFFTOWN

29 years old

58,3 %
THE CROSS HILL
Independent Bottling
Distilled 1978
Bottled 2007
CASK STRENGHT TRIBUTE TO
BRAVE HEART
Limited Edition
184 Bottles only
Distilled and Bottled in Scotland for
Jumping Jack Produktion, Kreuzberg 36, Berlin

DUFFTOWN

1 9 9 9

43 %

CONNOISSEURS CHOICE

SPEYSIDE SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY

Distillation Date: August 1999

Cask Type: First Fill Bourbon barrels

Bottling Date: February 2012

Proprietors: Arthur Bell & Sons Ltd

Specially selected, produced and bottled by

Gordon & Macphail, Elgin

Nose: Hints of sweet vanilla with a malty edge

Palate: Honey with some warming spices

Body: Light to medium

Finish: Short and warming

These whiskies are known as The Premier Cru of Single Malt Scotch, They are elegant

fruity malts which usually have a drying smokiness.

Dufftown Distillery was founded in the 1890’s. It was built on the site of an old mill.

Three pairs of stills are housed in solid stone buildings with the iconic pagodas on the

roof.

THE SINGLETON OF DUFFTOWN TRIOLOGY

We ‘re on a mission to create Great Tasting Single Malt Scotch Whiskies that burst with flavor, smooth, rich and perfectly balanced:

THE SINGLETON OF DUFFTOWN

SPEY CASCADE

40 %

Single Malt Scotch Whisky of Dufftown

TRADITIONALLY BATCH DISTILLED

Dufftown Distillery, Dufftown, Keith, Banffshire

RICH . BALANCED . SMOOTH

The maturation in AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN OAK CASKS gives a CASCADE of flavours

with layers of rich stewed fruits, soft brown sugar and toasted nuts.

THE SINGLETON OF DUFFTOWN

SUNRAY

40 %

Single Malt Scotch Whisky of Dufftown

TRADITIONALLY BATCH DISTILLED

Dufftown Distillery, Dufftown, Keith, Banffshire

SMOOTH . HONEYED . INTENSE

The smooth yet intense character of SUNRAY comes from maturation in TOASTED OAK

CASKS specially selected to deliver a honeyed, vanilla sweetness with aromas of black –

current and baked apple.

THE SINGLETON OF DUFFTOWN

TAILFIRE

40 %

Single Malt Whisky of Dufftown

TRADITIONALLY BATCH DISTILLED

Dufftwon Distillery, Dufftown, Keith, Banffshire

VIBRANT . FRUITY . FRESH

The Vibrant and enticing character of TAILFIRE comes from maturation in EUROPEAN OAK

CASKS specially selected to enhance the juicy red Berry freshness and sweet aromas of vanilla and fresh cut grass.

THE SINGLETON OF DUFFTOWN

U N I T È

40 %

RESERVE COLLECTION

Single malt Scotch Whisky

Dufftown Distillery, Dufftown, Keith, Banffshire

The Singleton of Dufftown – Unite is a perfectly balanced Single Malt Scotch Whisky, crafted

from casks personally chosen by our Master of Malt, exclusively available in Travel Retail.

Unite is a smooth, creamy and fragrant creamy Scotch Whisky with a perfectly balanced fla-

vour that brings together layers of fresh red fruits, rich chocolate coffee and subtle clove

spiciness for a supremely unified taste experience.

Single Malt Scotch Whisky has been distilled at Dufftown since 1896.

Speyside
DUFFTOWN - GLENLIVET also see PITTYVAICH

Dufftown, Banffshire. Licentiehouder: Arthur Bell & Sons Ltd. Onderdeel van United Distilles Ltd. Eigendom van Guinness.

De Earl of Fife, James Duff, gaf zijn naam aan Dufftown, de malt whisky hoofdstad van Schotland.
De grote vraag naar Speyside malt whisky dreef twee ondernemers uit Liverpool, Peter Mackenzie en Richard Stackpole naar Dufftown.
Samen met een notaris van Dufftown en John Symon, eigenaar van een houtzagerij en graan maalderij richten zij The Dufftown - Glenlivet Distillery Company Ltd op.
Ze verbouwden de zagerij en maalderij om tot een distilleerderij die op 10 November 1896 werd opgestart.

Het proceswater kwam van Highlandman John's Well of Jock's Well en gerst voor de eerste produktie kwam van Pittyvaich farm, het eigendom van John Symon.

Dufftown - Glelivet was een succevolle distilleerderij en Mackenzie kon een eigen blending firma beginnen. De export naar Amerika floreerde, maar met de drooglegging in Amerika in 1920 had Mackenzie een probleem.
In 1993 moest hij zijn bedrijf en Dufftown - Glenlivet verkopen aan Arthur Bell & Sons Ltd en inclusief de Blair Athol distilleerderij en 120.000 gallons whisky voor maar £ 56.000.

In de tweede wereldoorlog was Dufftown - Glenlivet gesloten.

In 1985 werd Arthur Bell & Sons Ltd, tegen zijn zin, overgenomen door Guinness en na de overname, ook tegen hun zin van de Distillers Company Ltd door Guinness samengevoegd en ging men onder de naam United Distillers Ltd verder.

In 1968 werden twee ketels toegevoegd en de kapaciteit zo verdubbeld. The Dufftown - Glenlivet kan 3 miljoen liter spirit per jaar produceren.
In 1979 kwamen er opnieuw twee ketels bij, wat het aantal op zes ketels bracht.De Mash tun is 10,6 ton.De 12 Wash backs hebben elk een inhoud van 53000 liter.
De drie Wash stills van 15.300 liter elk, en de drie Spirit stills van 13.100 liter elk kunnen per jaar 3.25 liter spirit produceren.De ketels worden met stoom verhit.

October 2005
Diageo has announced that its 2005 Annual Rare Malts Selection will be the last.
The collection will consist of four cask strenght single malts from closed distilleries; Glen Mhor 28 years old, Millburn 35 years old, Glendullan 26 years old and Linkwood 30 years old.
Dr. Nicholas Morgan, global malts marketing director commented: 'As the Special Releases are now well established, it makes less sence to continue selecting and promoting a parallel series of Rare Malts with his own separate indentity'.
In future, all premium and rare whiskies will be made available in the annual Special Re-leases series.

1895

Build in an old mill as Pittyvaich Distillery

by Peter Mackenzie,

Richard Stackpole, John Simon and

Charles MacPherson
1896

Production starts in November
1897

The name is now Dufftown and the

owner is P. Maclenzie & Co,

who also owns Blair Athol distillery
1933

P. Mackenzie & Co is bought by

Arthur Bell & Sons for

56.000 Pound
1968

The floor maltings is discontinued

and the number of stills is

increased from 4 to 6
1979

The stills are increased by a further

two to eight
1985

Guiness buys Athur Bell & Sons
1997

Guiness and Grand Metropolitan

merge to form Diageo
2006

The Singleton of Dufftown 12 year

is launched for duty free

2008

The Singleton of Dufftown is made

available also in the UK

2010

A Manager's Choice 1997 is released

2013

A 28 year CS, also two expressions

for duty free Unite and

Trinite are released

2014

Tailfire, Sunray, Spey Cascade are

released

2016

Two limited releases 21 year

and 25 year released

2018

Malt Master's Selection released

Malt Masters Selection released

2020

Capacity: 6.000.000 Ltrs

Output: 6.000.000 Ltrs

A 30 year Prima and Ultima and a 17 yearold

rare by Nature are released

2021

A 54 year old is released

Owner: Diageo Plc
Established: 1896
Water Source:

John's Well / Jock's Well
Malting Capacity:

No malting on site
Malt Source:

Bairds and Roseisle
Malt Storage: Capacity:

4 malt bins
Mill Type: Vickers Mill
Grist Storage: 1 grist bin
Mash Tun Construction:

Stainless Steel full lauter

Mash Size: 13 tonnes
No. of Wash Backs: 12
Wash Back Construction:

Stainless Steel
Wash Back Capacity :

58.000 litres
Yeast: Mauri Creamed Yeast
No. of Wash Stills: 3
Wash Still Charge: 12.000 litres
Heat Source: Steam Pans
Wash Still Shape:

short necks and large bottom

No. of Spirit Stills:3

Spirit Still Charge:15.000 litres
Heat Source: Steam Pans

Spirit Still Shape:

short Necks and large bottoms

1895

The Dufftown - Glenlivet Distillery

Company Limited is formed

1896

A sawmill and meal mill at the

Kirkton of Mortlach were converted

to a distillery which started mashing

on 10 November 1896

1898

The company changed its name to

P. MacKenzie & Co. Distillers Limited

business of P. MacKenzie including

Dufftown - Glenlivet and

Blair Athol Distilleries

1941

Dufftown - Glenlivet Distillery closes

to conserve supplies of barley during

World War II

1947

Production recommenced

1968

Expansion from 2 to 4 stills

1979 - 1980

New expansion: 2 still, a

new mash tun and a new mash mill are built

The company of Arthur Bell was taken over

by Guinness Plc in 1985,

and in 1987 Arthur Bell

and Scottish Malt Distillers were amalgamated

to form United Distillers.
Distillery Manager ( 2012) is Gordon Clark
Dufftown uses non - peated Optic barley

Dufftown has a green grassy character

This year ( 2012 )half a million pounds for

new wash and spirit condensers invested

Most of the whisky produced by Dufftown

is used in the blended whiskies

Johnnie Walker,Bells and The Singleton.

2006

The Singleton of Dufftown 12 years old

is launched in duty free

2008

TheSingleton of Dufftown 12 years old

is also launched in the United Kingdom

2010

A manager Choice 1997 is released

2013

Unite, Trinite are released and a CS

28 years old

2014

Tailfire, Sunray, Spey Cascade are released

2016

A 21 and a 25 years old limited releases

are released

2018

Malt Master Selection is released

2020

Capacity: 6.000.000 Ltrs

Output: 6.000.000 Ltrs

2020

A 30 years old Prima & Ultima , a 17 years old

Rare by Nature released

2021

A 54 years old released

The whisky boom of the 1890's brought entrepreneur Peter Mackenzie and his partner

Richard Stackpole from Liverpool to the Kirkton of Mortlach in 1895 to view a sawmill
and a meal mill, for conversion into a distillery.

On meeting the owner, John Symon, along with local solicitor Charles McPherson, be -
came the founders of the Dufftown - Glenlivet Distillery Company Limited.

Following extensive building conversions, Dufftown´s sixt distillery began mashing on
10 November 1896, with the first spirit flowing into cask six days later.

At this time, the jealously guarded water supply for Dufftown distillery, Highlandman
John´s Well, also known as Jock´s Well, was hotly disputed by neighbouring distillers.

However an agreement was finally reached and the source was protected for generations
to come.

Not unlike many of its Speyside neighbours, Dufftown Distillery added the name Glenlivet
to its title as it was thought that the name Glenlivet would add prestige and recognition
to any distillery.

In 1898 Peter MacKenzie´s son, John, replaced his father who moved to Edinburgh and
George Stodart replaced Symon and Stackpole, with the company changing its name to

P. MacKenzie and Co. Distillers Ltd.
By such time, MacKenzie´s whisky blending company had established an expanding
market in the United States but the introduction of Prohibition laws, which were in place
for 13 years before they were repeated, placed significant pressures on the industrie and
resulted in the distillery barely ticking over.

In 1933, the year in which the laws were repeated in the United States, Arthur K. Bell
purchased the total business of P. MacKenzie, including Dufftown - Glenlivet and Blair
Athol Distilleries.

The following year saw the distillery return to full production which continued until 1941
when the distillery was closed in an effort to help conserve supplies of barley during the
Second World War.

Full production starts in 1947.
Expansion work in 1968 saw the number of stills increase from 2 to 4, doubling the capacity
with more than 3.000.000 litres of alcohol being produced each year by the 1970´s.

Further expansion increased capacity again by 50 %, following the addition of a new mash
tun, two additional still and a new malt mill in 1979 / 1980.

The Singleton gets new variants
March, 2014
Diageo has announced two new variants to its The Singleton of Dufftown single malt Scotch whisky range.
Tailfire and Sunray are said to have been created using specially selected casks to enhance particular elements of the flavour profile of the Speyside malt whisky.
Tailfire is described as having a vibrant and enticing character, which comes from maturation in a higher proportion of European oak casks specially selected to enhance the juicy red berry freshness and sweet aromas of vanilla and fresh cut grass. This variant will be launching in both grocery and whisky specialists in March across a number of markets in Western Europe (UK, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark, and Germany in July 2014). The recommended retail price of Tailfire in the UK will be £33.
The character of Sunray is said to come from maturation in a higher proportion of toasted bourbon casks selected to deliver a honeyed, vanilla sweetness with aromas of blackcurrant and baked apple. Sunray will be launching exclusive to whisky specialists in March 2014 across a number of markets in Western Europe (UK, France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland and Denmark). Sunray's RRP in the UK will be £36.
Diageo says colourful packaging indicative of the taste profile, and clear flavour descriptors have been chosen to facilitate the demystification of single malt whisky, a category with historically fewer younger consumers.
Diageo Master Blender, Dr Matthew Crow said: "I am immensely proud of these two single malts. Tailfire and Sunray embody the future of whisky, and have been created to inspire a new generation of whisky drinkers. The Singleton is a much loved Speyside whisky, and has always put great taste and flavour at the heart of their single malts."
The names said to be are derived from the names of salmon flies, inspired by the leaping salmon and fly fishing on the river Spey. Tailfire and Sunray join The Singleton family alongside the 12, 15 and 18 year old expressions.

November 2014
Created by Diageo's Master Blender

Mareen Robinson:
2006

The Singleton Series starts with

12, 15 18 years old
2013

The Singleton Reserve Collection starts:

Trinite, Liberte and Artisan
2014

The Singleton of Dufftown Tailfire and

Sunray, The Singleton of Dufftown
Cask Strenght is launched: 52.3 % and

28 years old, The Singleton of Dufftown
Cascade, The Singleton of Dufftown Unite.

One of a number of distilleries which started as a mill, Dufftown started producing whisky in 1896 for its owner, the blending firm Mackenzie & Co (which already owned Blair Athol). It became part of Arthur Bell & Sons in 1933 and was a key player within that blender’s estate, increasing its stills to eight by 1979 – currently there are six.

Bell’s also built the neighbouring Pittyvaich distillery in 1975 (it was run more or less as Dufftown 2) to cater for the rise in demand for its blend. Pittyvaich closed in 1993 and was demolished in 2002. Bell’s was bought by Guinness in 1985 and two years later Diageo was formed.

Until the opening of Roseisle, Dufftown was Diageo’s largest distillery. In 2006, it joined the Singleton family (alongside Glendullan and Glen Ord) with its market being, predominantly, UK and Europe.

1895

The Dufftown-Glenlivet distillery

is built within a former mill by

Peter Mackenzie, Richard Stackpole,

John Symon and Charles

Macpherson

1896

The distillery begins production

1897

Glenlivet-Dufftown falls under the

ownership of P.Mackenzie & Co

1933

The distillery becomes part of

Arthur Bell & Sons' portfolio

1968

Dufftown undergoes a refurbishment –

its stills are increased

from two to four while its floor maltings

are decommissioned

1974

The distillery's stills are increased

again to six

1975

Bell's builds the Pittyvaich distillery

next door to produce malt

for its blend

1979

A further two stills are added, bringing

the total to eight

1985

Arthur Bell & Sons is purchased by

Guinness

1993

Pittyvaich is closed. The building is

finally demolished in 2002

1997

Guinness merges with Grand Metropolitan

to form Diageo

2006

The Singleton of Dufftown 12 Year Old is

launched in travel retail

2014

The Singleton Tailfire and Sunray are

launched

CONDENSER TYPE i

Shell and tube

FERMENTATION TIME i

75hrs

FILLING STRENGTH i

63.5%

GRIST WEIGHT (T) i

HEAT SOURCE i

Steam

MALT SPECIFICATION i

Non peated

MALT SUPPLIER i

Mainly in house

MASH TUN TYPE i

Lauter

NEW-MAKE PHENOL LEVEL i

Non peaty

NEW-MAKE STRENGTH i

67-68%

SPIRIT STILL CHARGE (L) i

15,300

SPIRIT STILL SHAPE i

Plain

STILLS i

WASH STILL CHARGE (L) i

12,000

WASH STILL SHAPE i

Plain

WASHBACK TYPE i

Steel

WASHBACKS i

WATER SOURCE i

Jock's Well, Conval Hills Spring

WORT CLARITY i

Clear

YEAST TYPE i

Creamed

Diageo

1997 - present

Guinness UDV

1985 - 1997

Arthur Bell & Sons

1933 - 1985

P Mackenzie & Co

1897 - 1933

Dufftown-Glenlivet Distillery Co

1895 - 1897

THE SINGLETON

This trio of single malts – Dufftown,

Glen Ord and Glendullan – has given

Diageo a top five brand.

THE SINGLETON

SPEYSIDE SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY

The Singleton is actually a threesome of single malts each with a growing family of expressions around a core 12-year-old. First was Singleton of Glen Ord, Diageo’s ‘green grassy’ malt from the Black Isle which was reserved for Asia. Then came two Speysiders – The Singleton of Glendullan (fruity, grassy) for the US and Canada, and The Singleton of Dufftown (nutty, spicy), which was kept just for Europe. Today all three are available globally in a bid to become the world’s number one single malt brand.

In each case with The Singleton of Glendullan, Dufftown and Glen Ord, the range has been expanded with older expressions and those with no age statement at all. Examples include Dufftown’s Spey Cascade, Tailfire and Sunray, and Glendullan’s Master’s Art that is finished in Muscat casks.

Described as a ‘recruitment malt’, The Singleton has become the key driver in Diageo’s single malt portfolio, flanked by ‘discovery malts’ like Talisker and Oban, and ‘prestige malts’ like Mortlach and the annual Special Releases range.

THE SINGLETON HISTORY

For a giant with such prominent brands, Diageo is not used to playing catch-up to its smaller rivals, but that is what has happened with single malts.

With a view to redressing the balance, The Singleton range was launched in 2006, starting with Glen Ord, followed by Glendullan and Dufftown 12 months later. The brand’s success led to a major expansion at Glen Ord in 2014 that doubled capacity to 10 million LPA (litres of alcohol per annum).

In the same year, Diageo launched The Singleton of Dufftown Tailfire and Sunray – the first two NAS expressions in the brand’s portfolio.

By 2015 Diageo revealed plans to grow The Singleton as a single malt brand in its own right, to take on the might of The Glenlivet and Glenfiddich which jointly held the title of world’s biggest malt brand.

SINGLETON MALT MASTER’S SELECTION UNVEILED

May 2018

Diageo Reserve has unveiled The Singleton of Dufftown Malt Master’s Selection, a no-age-statement single malt whisky released as part of a revamp of the brand’s entire core range.

The Singleton of Dufftown Malt Master's Selection bottle

Master plan: The Singleton of Dufftown Malt Master's Selection is part of the brand's repackaged core range

The whisky, bottled at 40% abv, promises a ‘slightly sweeter’ take on the classic Speyside style used by the Singleton of Dufftown 12 Year Old.

Malt Master’s Selection has been matured in a combination of refill, Sherry and Bourbon casks, with a greater proportion of refill to allow ‘the sweet yet refined distillery character to shine through’.

Nick Temperley, Head of Diageo Reserve GB, said: ‘The Singleton Malt Master’s Selection, with its sweeter notes and delicate flavour, will appeal to those new to the category whilst sitting well with our existing fans and loyal whisky drinkers.’

The new whisky’s release also heralds the arrival of a packaging revamp of the Singleton of Dufftown’s core range, inspired by 19th-century hip flasks and blown from blue glass.

‘The rebrand of the 12, 15 and 18 Year Old will also create a strong standout for the collection on-shelf,’ said Temperley.

The Singleton of Dufftown Malt Master’s Selection will be available globally to both on- and off-trade consumers, priced at about £30 a bottle.

Dufftown is one of the few distilleries where the wash stills are smaller than nthe spirit stills. Ouput in 2019 will be 6 million litres of alcohol.

SINGLETON RELEASES 53 YEAR OLD DUFFTOWN MALT

September 2019

Speyside whisky brand The Singleton has released its oldest single malt to date, a limited edition 53-year-old from Dufftown distillery laid down in 1964.

The Singleton 53 Year Old and packaging

Time served: The Singleton 53 Year Old is part of the new Paragon of Time Collection

Matured in a single hogshead cask and bottled at 40.6% abv, The Singleton of Dufftown 53 Year Old 1964 Vintage is the first in the whisky brand’s new Paragon of Time Collection.

Maureen Robinson, master of malts for The Singleton, said: ‘Usually in high-aged Scotch, the cask can overpower the distillery character, but this had been lying there for over five decades and to our joy the distillery character had actually shone through, defying time.

‘It’s been an honour to be a part of this series that captures the perfection that only time can achieve.’

The whisky is said to feature ‘scented hand-cream, rose water and exotic tropical and berry fruit’ notes on the nose, with ‘dried figs and a suggestion of toffee’ on the palate.

Priced at £26,400 per 70cl bottle, only 117 decanters are available at selected speciality retailers in the UK and across Asia.

The 53 Year Old will be presented in a crystal decanter and housed in a wooden presentation case, with a piece of the original cask incorporated into the packaging.

The Singleton has also partnered with award-winning artist Cai Zhi Song to celebrate the release by creating a commemorative sculpture called Blossom, which will be auctioned later this year alongside a bottle of The Singleton 53 Year Old.

It surpasses the brand’s previous oldest release, the 40-year-old Glendullan single malt from the whisky’s Forgotten Drop series released in 2018.

In addition to Dufftown distillery, the Singleton brand also incorporates single malts from Glendullan and Glen Ord.

The Singleton is actually a threesome of single malts each with a growing family of expressions around a core 12-year-old.

First was Singleton of Glen Ord, Diageo’s ‘green grassy’ malt from the Black Isle which was reserved for Asia.

Then came two Speysiders –

The Singleton of Glendullan (fruity, grassy) for the US and Canada, and

The Singleton of Dufftown (nutty, spicy), which was kept just for Europe.

Today all three are available globally in a bid to become the world’s number one single malt brand.

In each case with The Singleton of Glendullan, Dufftown and Glen Ord, the range has been expanded with older expressions and those with no age statement at all.

Examples include Dufftown’s Spey Cascade, Tailfire and Sunray, (Nosing & Tasting (32)

The Singleton Family (1). And launched in 2014 as NAS expressions.

and Glendullan’s Master’s Art that is finished in Muscat casks.

For a giant with such prominent brands, Diageo is not used to playing catch-up to its smaller rivals, but that is what has happened with single malts.