So back in March 2015, when we were young and foolish, I decided I wanted to buy a whisky that was distilled the year I was born. Not the month and year: A recently search finds that I missed that boat on my 13th birthday, more than likely.
So I could have picked up a sample of a Port Ellen. Yet I didn’t really have that much money ti drop on 3cl (that’s 1 oz in freedom units for the Americans here). I looked around and instead agreed with myself on Dufftown 30 1982 Director’s Cut, which is the shortened version of the name so that you don’t have to work between each designation in the name.
Then I ended up with another through a fluke. Cause I’m awesome, I guess.
Anyway, turns out I’ve never had a Director’s Cut from Douglas Laing or a Dufftown before, so I chose… well I guess? Who the fuck knows, really.
So Director’s Cut has gone the way of the dodo recently. It used to be the rarest, most interesting, and oldest whiskies from Dougie Laing and sons. All single casks and all bottled at cask strength. Now though, they have Xtra Old Particular with it’s fancy name for the Xtreme kids and shit, so this one has gone away. The director, it would seem, has been cut.
Dufftown, on the other hand, has not gone the way of the passenger pigeon, still kicking and not at all pining for the fjords. They’re owned by Diageo, so take that whoever you want. You’ve seen them produced under the name “Singleton of Dufftown” or “Dufftown 15” and surely not “The Attack of Duffzilla versus Blackenstein”.
You may have also tasted them in Bell’s Blended whisky. If you’re some sort of savant or some crazy shit.
So that’s the background. These have lined up to make for an interesting Birthday Dram at home, to add to the other 3 times I binge drank… I mean, binge reviewed…. Let’s just see how this tastes, shall we?
Price: N/A
Region: Speyside
Distillation Date: March 1982
Bottled: March 2012
Number of Bottles: 189
Cask Type: Sherry Butt
Abv: 51.7%
Colour: 2.5YR 2/4
Nose: Cherry, brown sugar, peach, oak, popcorn, floral, toffee
The sherry butt (teehee) has a lot of influence on the nose. I guess 30 years did a good job. Wish I grew up in a sherry cask…
The popcorn note is probably my favourite of the bunch. Salty, buttery, and that burnt corn smell that pops up when I nose this.
Taste: Butter, oak, mint, strawberry, pecan, raisin, cinnamon, molasses
Hmmm… more butter. Trust me, I know butter, you don’t get these love handles using margarine.
Well, maybe you do, I’m not so great at nutrition.
Very rich influence from the sherry. Not enough to make me think it isn’t a whisky, more so it pushes along a nice whisky to develop complimentary flavours.
Also it tastes like raisins and I like raisins.
Finish: Butter, caramel, ginger, nutmeg, melon, mint, salt, peach
The saltiness, I’m assuming, is from the whisky itself, and it pairs really well with this. The caramel and spice notes are so deep that the Marianas trench is jealous.
The sherry influence stops at this point, and gives you an idea of how old this dram is.
Conclusion: I have a rule: Unless a dram sets off memories, it doesn’t go over an 85. And I stand by that rule, because that’s where I can tell how insanely complex something is.
I love this dram, don’t get me wrong. That said, it never “jumps into amazing country”, just staying in “fucking great” country.
Try this dram. Heck, it makes me want to try more Dufftown, and that’s something. It even makes me want to try more Director’s Cut. Very tasty dram.
85/100
Scotch review #395, Speyside review #118, Whisky Network review #604
tomoderawhisky.ca 
Reblogged this on Toronto Whisky Society.
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