The Golden Cask is a single cask series bottled by Cumbrae Supply – House of Macduff (incidentally also the name of the distillery, but pure coincidence with the fact that the owners have this family name).
Until now they had a standard bottle with a fairly dull label, but apparently they’ve been given a recent makeover. They’re now sold in Compass Box-like bottles with a nice cardboard case. Of course it’s the contents that counts, but you can’t deny this is way more attractive.
We’re trying a new Macduff 1980. Note that there was another Macduff 1980 from the same bottlers in 2012 (at 50%).
Macduff 33 yo 1980
(47,5%, Golden Cask Reserve 2014, ref. CM210, 125 btl.)
Macduff 33 yo 1980Nose: this is a kind of profile that I really like and that’s rarely found on the market these days. Beautiful bananas with beeswax and coconut. Stewed fruits, apricots and mandarin. Hints of pineapple. A nice freshness of herbs and nice spearmint. Soft oak as well. A 1970’s profile really.
Mouth: starts gentle, even though the resinous oak is on the foreground. Bags of mint and liquorice. In a second wave there are lovely hints of passion fruits and apricots, too bad they don’t last very long. Dried coconut again, as well as touches of Early Gray tea.
Finish: long, with grapefruit, mint tea and cinnamon.
Nice stuff, although you have to like a bit of oak in your whisky. Not very surprising given the age of course. Around € 190. Sold through representatives in different countries, e.g. Kintra handles the distribution for The Netherlands.
Score: 90/100