GlenDullan
- OWNER: DIAGEO
- FOUNDED: 1897
- REGION: SPEYSIDE
- PRONUNCIATION: Glen-DOO-lan
Though Glendullan is Diageo’s second-largest distillery, at 4 million liters a year, it is relatively unknown as a single malt, with virtually everything it makes going into blends (in particular, Old Parr). The company is trying to change that with the Singleton brand, an umbrella name that covers the single malt output of three distilleries for three global regions: The Singleton of Dufftown goes to Europe, the Singleton of Glen Ord goes to Asia, and the Singleton of Glendullan comes to the United States.
GlenDullan
The Singleton
12 Years Old
Made from a marriage of whiskies aged in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks.
- PRICE $ · RATING
- AGE 12 years old
- ALC/VOL 40%
- NOSE A fruit bomb: raspberry, honey, cherry cough syrup, and fruit cake, with a slight funk at the back; water thins it out and elicits a lavender note.
- PALATE A thick, honeyed mouthfeel, with bitter wood, fruitcake, rum-funk, rubber gasket, and a savory undertone, which comes to the fore and clarifies into grilled mushrooms and wood. The brief finish is bitter and semi-dry.
- GENERAL The oaky bitterness overpowers everything. Like many mediocre whiskies, the nose deceives; the palate reveals.
The Singleton
15 Years Old
Made from a marriage of whiskies aged in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks.
- PRICE $$ · RATING
- AGE 15 years old
- ALC/VOL 40%
- NOSE Orange blossom, cough syrup, vanilla, acetone, and a general mustiness (think basement carpet); with water you find lavender, cherry cola, and a vague funkiness.
- PALATE Surprisingly thick at 80 proof, with artificial strawberry, bitter almonds, and so, so much oak. It thins out a bit with water, bringing forth a strawberry and meat combination not unlike baijiu. The slightly sweet finish is brief and dry, with hints of wormwood and dirty metal, like sucking on a penny.
- GENERAL An improvement over the twelve year old, but with the same flaws—unbalanced, overly woody, and bitter.
GlenDullan
The Singleton
18 Years Old
The oldest of the Glendullan Singletons, aged, like the others, in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks.
- PRICE $$ · RATING
- AGE 18 years old
- ALC/VOL 46%
- NOSE A subtle, almost nonexistent nose, with sawdust, black tea, rum raisin, and potting soil; water turns it a bit musty, like rotting leaves, though with a hint of juiciness in there.
- PALATE Juicy and metallic, meaty and funky—there’s honey, tea leaves, and chocolate; with water you’ll get cedar and even more chocolate. The medium finish is dry and bitter, with grape skins, mint, and copper.
- GENERAL The best of the three, but still of a type. The metallic notes are hard to move beyond. Even at this price, there are many, many better eighteen year olds.