Single Malt
Scotland
Ancient Mariner
1 Jan 1997
5852
This wonderful Macduff was distilled back in 1997 and aged in a single cask for the next 18 years. When its time was up, it was bottled up as part of the Ancient Mariner range. Though those folks certainly produce some fabulous rum, their single malt is absolute top drawer, too.
Charred strawberries, freshly baked nut loaf, peppermint sweeties and a floral bouquet.
Honeyed orchard fruits and a good crack of black pepper, malty cereal and vanilla syrup.
Sugary peach tart, tobacco and underlying wood spice.
The nose was, I felt, stuffy. The pallet tasted lightly of a well stirred emulsion. I was surprised, pleasantly, that the peppery aromas were strong enough to make me sneeze. If you add a cola, add a good one. Do not water it, it doesn't need it.
Easy to drink, but not too complex Macduff. The 18 years don't really come through, my gut feeling is that a rather tired American oak cask, - probably a butt - was used for maturation, it feels like a 10-12 year old. The distillery character is showcased better with this - thanks to the 46.1% - than the Glen Deveron range, it feels less 'watery' and has more "mouthfeel". Checked on the website of the bottler, it is non-chill filtered (search for "hebridean-liqueurs"). On the nose I got some malty cereals, hint of honey/sugary sweetness and a bit of freshly cut grass. After 15 minutes of waiting a bit of mint and vanilla appears. The palate continues what's on the nose: honey sweetness and cereal notes. It changes a bit abruptly into black pepper that goes on until a hint of oak and smoke appears in the finish. Be careful with water, this is a fragile malt, more than a few drops will kill it. But you won't need to add water to it as it only dilutes it without altering the experience too much. If I would have come across this when I started drinking whisky, I would been happier with it, now I am too fussy. It is a bit one-dimensional for my taste, but for guests and friends who are not too much into whisky this is perfect: easy to drink, no challenging flavours. Don't want to be too harsh on this, because as a "first independent bottling" it is perfect, especially for people who enjoy Glenfiddich 12/15 and looking for something sweet, but more malty. Cheers, Andras from Switzerland
I’d say the prominent notes are the malty cereal and honey flavours that are across both the nose and the palate. The black pepper develops on the palate and leads into the finish. I live in Aus so with shipping and tax, probably wasn’t worth the money, but if in the UK, go for it!
