Glen Deveron Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky Range Review
let’s begin
Way up in the Speyside region of Scotland lies the Glen Deveron Distillery.
Proud producers of Glen Deveron 16, Glen Deveron 20 and Glen Deveron 30 Glen Deveron, also known as Macduff Distillery and the most easterly distillery in Scotland, was founded in 1962.
It is only a stone’s throw from the coast and sits on the edge of the magnificent River Deveron, the perfect setting to great scotch malt.
Glen Deveron malt has only ever been released under the name Macduff, but having been taken over by Dewar’s in the 1990s, they have had the opportunity to join some other little-known brands in Bacardi’s Malts collection.
Lets take a closer look at the Glen Deveron range and see what makes it so good!
They have three age statements in their range covering a lot of ground.
Glen Deveron 16 Year Old is the youngest of the bunch and combines the sweet sherried flavours from the casks with a nice malted taste.
Take a good long whiff of this dram and you are met with sherried fruits and malted barley. The cereals and fruits make for an enticing nose.
Packed with apples and pears, Glen Deveron 16’s nose brims over with juicy fruits and that great sweetness of sherry that comes from the casks.
These spill over into the palate that is thick and sweet. Think caramel apples and syrup covered pears.
There is also a slight oaky quality to the sherried notes, really bringing the casks into the dram. The malted flavours develop, getting to the heart of the liquid, with barley and different grains coming through.
Combined with the oak, there is an excellent muted quality to Glen Deveron 16 that is enhanced by the creamy sweetness.
The finish really brings out the oak notes, with a hint of vanilla. It is a medium length with a great combination of all the flavours.
Similar to the Glen Deveron 16, but with a few more years experience, we have the Glen Deveron 20 Year Old.
The sherry casks play a big role in this malt, just as they do in the 16.
The tell tale sweetness is there in the nose, with a rich variety of cereal and nutty hints that pique the interest of the taste buds.
The sweetness is oakier than in the 16 and alongside the nutty flavours, has an elegant depth.
On the palate, the liquid is quite dry and satisfying. The nuts become sweeter, with hazelnuts and a slight hint of almond and vanilla.
These have a woody tone that brings you right back to the casks, and again, that sherried sweetness is ever present.
The sherry and nuts are joined by dried fruits like apricots and oranges and a great dose of cinnamon spice. The vanilla and cinnamon mix wonderfully together and underneath these the oak wood can really be discovered.
The finish on the 20 Year Old is a good bit longer than the 16 and makes Glen Deveron 20 a well-rounded dram. It brings back the sweet and spice and mixes them well.
Finally, we have the 30 Year Old, the ultimate Glen Deveron malt.
The age statement signals that this should be a refined and exciting dram, and it certainly lives up to that label.
The nose gives us hints of the ideal drinking setting for this malt; a room with red leather sofas and a good supply of cigars. The notes detected are rich and fresh, with cut hay and oaky vanilla sweetness.
These flavours bloom larger on the palate, with a thick leathery flavour that combines with a cinnamon and nutmeg spice.
There is a hint of Christmas clementines with cloves and sherry wine that warms the taste buds.
The wooded notes are sweet and refined and last into the finish.
Glen Deveron 30 closes with a fruity and spicy linger that is well worth savouring.
The Glen Deveron range may not be the best known on the market, but it certainly has something big to offer those that discover it. So maybe if you looked East and you might just find your next favourite dram.
Greg
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5 thoughts on “Glen Deveron Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky Range Review”
Totally like the article about the glen deveron range. Thumbs up!
There’s definately a great deal to learn about this topic.
I like all of the points you made.
Macduff is not the most easterly distillery in Scotland by a long way.
Macduff went into production in 1960 with the first fill in June of that year. I am a former Macduff manager ( employed from 1969 –2002)
I’ve had the GD 16 and 20! I’m recommending to all my friends! What finds!