Review: Signatory Dufftown 1984

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 17, 2011

This Whisky disappeared too fast!

Dufftown is the largest distillery belonging to Diageo. The whisky from this distillery is primarily intended for blends. Bell’s, Islander, Dewar’s White Label, and of course Johnnie Walker all require Dufftown Whisky as part of their construction. I recently purchased a 26-year-old Signatory bottling of Dufftown which was distilled in 1984. For those who are unfamiliar with this company, The Signatory Company was founded in 1988. It is family owned and managed, being one of only three truly independent bottlers in Scotland. (Signatory likes to draw a distinction between the independent companies who bottle their own products, and the independent companies whose products are bottled under contract.)

I am fortunate, as in my locale there are several stores which allow me to sample well aged Single Cask Whiskies prior to purchase. It takes a lot of the risk out of the purchase decision, and I have been able to build quite a collection of rare and old whiskies for my enjoyment. Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…I smell a delightful alpine forest rising from the glass as the whisky is poured. Punky woody notes take shape with spongy moss, willow thicket, and floral notes abounding. Rich vanilla scents follow accented by a wonderful backdrop of honeycomb and oak. Caramel builds in the glass coexisting very nicely with a developing marzipan…”

Here is a link to the full review: