My Homework Continues!

 

Whisky: That Boutique-y Whisky Company Macduff Batch 1

Distillery/Brand:
Macduff

Bottling:

That Boutique-y Whisky Company Macduff Batch 1

Region:
Speyside

ABV:
52%

Colour:

Chardonnay

Review:
Continuing to go through samples from Master of Malt to decide what's imported into Australia for sale, with a couple dozen to choose from and only 12 different whiskies to come into the country it's one of those times where you want the PERFECT whiskies to come in, the ones that you can rave about to everyone that you meet, the ones where you're tempted to purchase the entire allocation.

I'd known in advance some of the whiskies that NEEDED to be imported, but that still left 8 different whiskies to be decided on.

All day at work I'm running through scenarios in my mind, what whiskies to choose, what whiskies are good and what whiskies are brilliant.  What whiskies will fly off the shelves of the bottleshops and what whiskies will the consumers not understand?

So every night when I get home I crack open another sample, sit down with it over a couple of hours to decide which ones I enjoy and which ones I want to bring home to meet the parents.

The only problem with being in charge of importing whiskies that you've previously sampled is that you want to buy bottles of everything just about.

For those who don't know, That Boutique-y Whisky Company is an independent bottler who bottles casks of whisky, with no artificial coloring, no caramel coloring added, at cask strengths, with no age statements.  I'm going to go out on a limb and say that a bottle would normally contain whisky from two different distilleries.

I decided to start the night off with another distillery that I don't have alot of experience with.

MacDuff.

The whisky pours clear as, so bloody pale, it's almost unbelievable.  It looks like dirty water almost.  I REALLY do love the fact that these whiskies are coming out at their natural color.

Over the next few hours this little dram, these 30mls of whisky, will be my new best friend.

The nose is fruity with citrus fruits, apple skins, pears and is slightly yeasty/bready. 

I sit on the whisky for over an hour or so waiting to see if something more develops off the nose, but nothing else does appear to me.

Oh well that just means I can finally take a sip!

Grapefruit, a good deal of grapefruit, then a big dose of citrus.  Some slight toffee notes develop, with the whisky going sweet at times and then very dry.

A very short finish ends the whisky, dry with more grapefruit appearing.

It's not a bad whisky, by any means, but it's just not doing it for me.  Those who know me, know that I enjoy, nay crave, intensity, off both my beers and whisky.  I want huge complexity, I don't want easydrinking, I want something that makes me perk my ears up, put the kids to bed and turn off the tv so I can focus on that whisky or beer, and nothing else.

This whisky doesn't do that to me.  It doesn't make it bad, just not my style.

A bottle before customs, shipping and all those other lovely costs that whisky gets coming into Australia would run around $75 or so.  Roughly $140 or so once everything has been factored in.

Nose:          21/25
Taste:          21/25
Finish:        19/25
Balance:     19/25

Overall:        80/100