A lovely 16 year old Deveronside dedicated to Denmark and Hans Christian Andersen - Blog post by Luka Gottschalk

Highlander Inn (which is in fact an inn you can stay at, owned by Tatsuya Minigawa) has bottled a Highland single malt exclusively for Denmark. It is called Deveronside and was distilled at Macduff. Macduff usually names its official bottlings Glen Deveron, so the name Deveronside is not as mysterious as it might look at first glance.

Macduff is one of the Highland region's slightly newer distilleries (1958) and most of its production goes into blends such as Dewar's and William Lawson. To my mind the house style leans spiced and malty. The subject of this post is no exception.

The label tells us it has matured 16 years in hogsheads, is bottled at 49.8% and runs to only 224 bottles. On top of that we get a fine mermaid in honour of Denmark and Hans Christian Andersen, illustrated by Maggie Riegler - Maggie's Collection / Artwork by Maggie Riegler from Craigellachie

The Macduff distillery, in north-east Scotland on the banks of the River Deveron, was founded in 1960. It is known for its modern approach to whisky production, reflected in its advanced equipment and inventive distillation methods. Macduff makes a Highland single malt most often marketed under the name The Deveron, and previously also as Glen Deveron.

In the glass, Deveronside 16 years is pale amber gold and nicely oily.

The nose is remarkably soft, welcoming and lovely. I get sweet malt, vanilla sugar, butter, cinnamon and cardamom. It almost smells like a bakery on a Sunday morning. Lovely.

The palate lives up to the nose and carries on in the same direction: deep, full and powerful. Vanilla leads, followed by baking spices and yeast. This is sweet, pale, freshly baked bread in liquid form.

The finish of vanilla and butter is remarkably long and suggests those 16 years have matured the whisky beautifully.

Deveronside 16 years is a solid old-fashioned single malt in every way. The types of hogshead used are not specified, but I would guess we are looking at refill or ex-bourbon casks.

The distillate is right at the front here. It is not hidden behind heavy sherry influence, and I really taste the malt and the craft.

I would recommend Deveronside 16 years to anyone who likes old-fashioned whisky where the distillate stands in front of the cask. That is not a criticism of the wood used here, rather a compliment, because the cask has matured this Macduff beautifully without masking anything. That is how I prefer a single malt from Macduff.