Deveronside 2007/2023 Maggies Collection 16 years old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 49.8%

A mermaid swims across the label. That is no accident. The bottle was drawn for Denmark, and The Highlander Inn in Craigellachie let Hans Christian Andersen have the final word on how a Danish exclusive should look.

The expert description

Deveronside 2007/2023 Maggies Collection 16 Years Old is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky from MacDuff, matured in a hogshead and bottled at 49.8%.

MacDuff stands near Banff on the north coast, where the river Deveron meets the Moray Firth. The distillery started in 1962, and the name Deveronside appears whenever independent bottlers release MacDuff casks under something other than the distillery name. This cask, number 800219, was filled in 2007 and bottled in 2023 after sixteen years in a single hogshead. It gave 224 bottles.

Maggies Collection is The Highlander Inn’s own series, named after Maggie Riegler, a local artist from Craigellachie. She drew the labels for the inn’s bottlings until 2012 and died in 2018, but her hand still marks the range. This release is bottled without chill filtration and without added colour.

Tasting notes

Nose

Dried apricot and orange marmalade, honey on warm bread, and behind it a faint waxy note like old furniture polish.

Palate

Powerful without being harsh. Malt and pale caramel first, then baked apple, cinnamon and a nutty middle drawn out of the active hogshead.

Finish

Long and dry with pepper, orange peel and a last touch of salted caramel.

Specifications

Name: Deveronside 2007/2023 Maggies Collection 16 Years Old
Distillery: MacDuff
Bottler: The Highlander Inn
Region/Country: Highland Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 16 years
ABV: 49.8%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Hogshead
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 2007
Bottled: 2023
Number of bottles: 224
Edition: Maggies Collection

Flavour profile

Fruity · Malty · Spiced · Waxy · Single Cask

Investment potential

Medium. One cask, 224 bottles and a release made solely for the Danish market is a combination that has historically made bottles hard to find again. The series also carries a settled collector following around The Highlander Inn.

Did you know?

The Highlander Inn is a pub with rooms in the middle of Craigellachie, and more than five hundred different whiskies stand behind the bar. It has been run by Tatsuya Minagawa from Japan since 2011. A Scottish village inn with a Japanese landlord is not the obvious arrangement, but it works.

See our full range of MacDuff

Frequently asked questions about Deveronside 2007/2023 Maggies Collection 16 Years Old

Is Deveronside 16 Years Old worth collecting?

It carries most of the markers collectors look for: one cask, 224 bottles, sixteen years in wood and a label made specifically for Denmark. Single cask releases from independent inns and bars are rarely repeated, and once the bottles are gone they are gone.

What kind of distillery is Deveronside?

It is not a distillery. The whisky comes from MacDuff near Banff, and Deveronside is one of the names independent bottlers use when they cannot print the distillery name on the label. The Deveron is the river running past.

What does it taste like?

Dried fruit and honey on the nose, malt and baked apple on the palate, and a long peppery finish. The 49.8% gives it body without burn, and sixteen years in a hogshead has pulled plenty of spice out of the oak.

Why is there a mermaid on the label?

Because the bottle was released exclusively for Denmark. Maggie Riegler’s watercolours run through the whole series, and for the Danish edition the choice fell on a motif referencing Hans Christian Andersen.

What is Maggies Collection?

It is The Highlander Inn’s own bottling series, named after the artist Maggie Riegler of Craigellachie. She designed the inn’s labels until 2012, and the range was launched to meet demand for its single cask releases.

Does it need water?

Try it neat first. At 49.8% it is powerful but not sharp, and a few drops of water open the apricot and honey in particular. Use a glass that gathers the aroma. See our whisky glasses.

How should the bottle be stored?

Upright, dark and cool. Lying down lets the strong spirit eat away at the cork, and direct sunlight fades both label and contents. The label matters here, since the artwork is part of what the bottle is worth.