Dufftown distillery was founded in 1895, with production starting in 1896 when The Dufftown-Glenlivet Distillery Co. converted an old mill in Dufftown, Banffshire.

P. Mackenzie & Co. purchased the distillery in 1897.

1933 Saw the distillery being bought by Arthuer Bell & Sons and from then the whisky became an integral component of Bell's blended whisky.

In 1985 Arthur Bell became part of Guinness, which in turn became UDV and then Diageo (current owners).

A note about 'Singleton'

In Europe, Dufftown single malt is bottled and sold as 'Singleton', but if you buy a 'Singleton' in The USA it will contain Glendullan, whereas in Asia it will be Glen Ord. Then to confuse things further, Diageo bottled Auchroisk as 'Singleton' during the 1990's.

My thanks to Malt Madness for this information

General whisky characteristics: Light and floral

More great distillery info here thanks to Malt Madness

Distillery photos with kind permission by Teun Van Wel

Dufftown, Managers Choice, distilled May 1997, 59.5% ABV

American Oak, one of 282 bottles

Original cost of this bottle  €€€€€

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Rich gold, pale amber

Nose: Rubber, light leather and leafy.

Palate: Hints of rubbery banana? Let's add some water ...

With 4 drops of water: A strange but pleasant very aromatic leafiness.

With 4 more drops of water: Very floral / aromatic soft mocassin leather over that perfumed leafiness.

With 5 more drops of water: Light, aromatic, floral leafiness.

Finish: Extremely long, almost never ending with water.

Overall Impression: A quite strange floral leafiness which I quite like. It is rather pleasant.

This whisky was revisited in January 2012

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Yellow gold

Nose: Brasso and warm berries with a hint of cloves.

Palate: Just as the nose suggested, but with some emphasis on the cloves, meaning it's quite herbal.

With 4 drops of water: Very fresh, lightly herbal nose with some spices making it very intense. The palate again follows the nose.

Finish: Long and light.

Overall Impression: Very very different and very interesting.

Singleton of Dufftown, 12y, 40% ABV

Original cost of this bottle  €€€€€

Reviewed as part of MMA 2011

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Light golden yellow

Nose: Quite amazing; my first impression was of an English fish & chip shop with oil, chips and batter! This was all followed by a creamy leafiness and then faint malt.

Palate: Goodness, I really can't explain this, but yes fish & chip shop transfers to the palate too. Then comes a typical autumnal countryside leafiness, all coated in a palatable creaminess.

Finish: Long and creamy, slightly bitter right at end

Overall Impression: Not sure about this one - chip shop?

James MacArthur, Dufftown, 13y, bottled Aug. 1991, 59.4% ABV

Typical cost of this bottle; originally €€€€€

Glass: Spiegelau

Colour: Very pale and clear, not far removed from water in colour.

Nose: Lots of spirit from that 59.4% but eventually an aromatic farmyard begins to come through. Straw, hay, horse stables, muddy boots and a little freshness.

Palate: Very strong, sweet liquorice and popcorn, but this is crying out for a few drops of water.

5 Drops of water in about 2cl: The nose has immediately opened and lost that initial spirit. It's now lightly aromatic malt and nuts. The palate is much smoother with more toffee and even treacle flavours. There's even just a faint glimpsing hint of salmon filet in a herb crust, but this lasted literally just 1-2 seconds.

With 4 more drops of water: This suddenly becomes rather perfumed with traces of lavendar amongst Alpine herbs.

Finish: Long, aromatic and floral

Overall Impression: Definitely needs water, but when you do add some this whisky rewards with a quite floral and perfumed presence. I like it!

Golden Cask, Dufftown, 51.5% ABV

Distilled 1979, Bottled 2010

Cask NO.CM156, bottle 263 of 359

Original cost of this bottle; originally €€€€€

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Very very dark, treacle toffee and more.

Nose: Alive with suggestions of furniture polish, leather, coffee beans, dark fruits like plums and raisins and the whole experience is gently toasted.

Palate: All the dark fruitiness, leather and fruitiness translate directly onto the palate with a creamy mouth-feel.

Finish: Very long, rich and toasted.

Overall Impression: Delightfully rich and luxurious. Is it a Great? Quite possibly.