Scotland, Speyside: Single malt whisky through the producing distilleries: history, making, production and tasting notes

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Glendullan

Description of the whisky

The distillery

Glendullan distillery
Glendullan Distillery
Dufftown, Keith
Banffshire
AB55 4DJ
+44 1340 820 250
Owner: United Distillers & Vintners (Diageo)
Creation date 1897

The distillery has been created in 1897 by the blender William Williams. This is the seventh distillery around Dufftown. A local saying is: “Rome was built on seven hills and Dufftown stands on seven stills.” Glendullan was however not the last one as two more distilleries have been build round the town. Currently, there are 6 of them in activity.
It has been said that the distillery has been build because an attempt to buy Glenfiddich and The Balvenie was not successful. The new distillery has been build near these two distilleries, in order to guarantee a whisky with the same quality.
William Williams joined the Greenlees Brothers in 1919. Greenlees belonged to Alexander & MacDonald in those days. The company, which has been renamed in MacDonald Greenlees was also owner of the Auchinblae an Stronachie distilleries. Those distilleries closed respectively in 1926 and 1928.
Also Glendullan had to close like many other distilleries during World War II, due to a lack of Barley. Glendullan remained closed from 1940 up to 1947. The distillery has been refurbished in the early 1960's. A new distillery has been build near the old one in 1970-1971.
As both distilleries were producing exactly the same malt because they were using the same water and the same processing and were settled in the same area, the old distillery stopped production for good in 1985.

The whisky

A propos des notes de dégustation Your own tasting notes

List of the bottles

Description of the distillery

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Glendullan: official bottlings

Glendullan
Rare Malts 23 y.o.
1974-1998

Age
 23 years
Alcohol percentage
 63.1%
Bottler
 Official
Particularity
 Cask strength
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A very clear, spicy, peppery nose with hints of dry hay and flowers, an evident presence of alcohol (some tingling nostrils). Nice discrete woody notes appear after a while. The nose is very complex and announces a top quality whisky. The palate is very clean and fresh, relatively acid (green apple) with a progressive development on fine woody notes before a return to the first fruity acid impressions. Finish is lingering and warm, and an impression of alcohol still covers the palate, while fruity aromas mixed to very fine woody touches come back up to the mouth.
19/20
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 Glendullan: independent bottlings
 

Glendullan
Provenance 15 years
Summer distillation
Age
 15 years
Alcohol percentage
 43%
Cask
 Sherry
Bottler
 Douglas Laing
Particularity
 Non chill filtered
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  Colour: pale gold
Nose: robust and full
The taste is marked by fruits and nuts. The finish is exceptionally long.

(notes of the bottler)

The nose detects hints of slightly peppery malt. The smell is not characterized by the aroma complexity which is so typical of the great malts from this area. The impression in the palate confirms this first impression. Without this aromatic explosions, this whisky is a good and pleasant one, no more. The long finish prolongs this half-hearted impression, but is far to be unpleasant. 
16/20
The second tasting just confirmed the first one.
16/20
Nice floral nose, pleasantly and discretely perfumed. Pear hints are present too. Nice spring impression, freshness and friendly smells. A great smoothness in the palate, and the fruity impression of the nose are detected in the mouth too. Despite the fact it is rather marked by alcohol, the finish is  long and pleasant, with a very light nutty note which was not present at the nose nor in the palate.
17/20
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Glendullan: samples

Glendullan
Gifted stills
2002

Age
 4 years
Alcohol percentage
 43%
Bottler
 Jean Boyer
Quite a floral nose, slightly pungeant, wit peppery hints. A very expressive and encouraging nose. In the palate, a furtive apple spirit impression, developing quickly on very perfumed floral notes, before coming back to the fruit again. Rather complex, this whisky is very good, even if hotheadedness of youth is very present. A bit aggressive at the end of the palate, due probably to the youth of the spirit, and a quite simple finish leave a memory of a good whisky, even if it presents a lack at maturity. But if all the very young whisky could be like this one...
17/20
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Glendullan
Best casks of Scotland
1998
Age
 10 years
Alcohol percentage
 43%
Bottler
 Jean Boyer
A very nice fruity nose with clear marshmallow notes. A real delicacy.
In the palate, a nice impression of pear alcohol, with all the desired freshness. A slow development on slightly more acid notes giving more body to this whisky which would probably have been even better without dilution. I suspect a very good whisky in cask strength version.
A nice finish between the fruity smoothness and a nice bitterness, a light taste of walnut. The whole keeps this nice freshness impression.
18/20
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Speyside

Speyside Map

The Speyside area is situated at the North of the Cairngorm mountain and goes to the Moray firth. It is delimited by two rivers: the Findhorn at the West side and the Deveron on the East side.
The area is named after the river Spey. Most of the distilleries take their water in one of its affluents; the Fiddich, the Livet or the Avon.
About sixty distilleries from Speyside are described on this site.

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