Glen Deveron, The Deveron or Macduff – I’ve given up caring as the distillery doesn’t seem to what to stick to one of the other over its relatively short life span (founded in 1962). Regardless, this Society bottling (ergo Macduff) has been matured in a refill ex-bourbon hogshead for 12 years.
Nose: Red jelly beans and rose petals sit with redcurrant and quince jelly and lime peels. Running throughout, Victoria sponge, chocolate buns and gingerbread. Dilution adds a great deal more expressiveness here – key lime pie, fresh gooseberries, creamy custard and cracked cashew nuts.
Taste: Bright and tart with grapefruit, melon and gooseberry. The mid-palate introduces patisseries with tart cases and cake mix alongside biscuit crumb and whipped double cream. Reduction again offers improvement – crème brulee sitting with pink peppercorns and some champagne fizz.
Finish: Medium to long with white pepper and fading white fruits.
Undiluted, this Macduff is straight down the line – standard, inoffensive and pleasant enough. But water teases out plenty of additional character and nuance here – it’s brighter, broader and with some zip in its step. If you’re sampling, do ensure you’ve a pipette to hand.