A while ago, a friend mentioned that her favourite dram is a Singleton. For some unknown reason, neither John nor me have ever tried whisky from the Dufftown Distillery. So, when Singleton released their new The Singleton Tailfire single malt Scotch whisky expression, it was a great opportunity to try this brand.
The Dufftown distillery is located in the small Speyside town of the same name. The Dufftown distillery was not originally built as a malt whisky distillery. Wine merchant Peter Mackenzie and friends converted it from an old Mill to a Distillery in 1895 /6.
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Today it is owned by Diageo. The majority of the malt whisky produced at the Dufftown Distillery is used for blended whiskies – particularly Bell’s and Johnnie Walker. Singleton Tailfire is one of two NAS single malt Scotch whiskies released in 2015 as part of the Singleton of Dufftown range. The other being Singleton Sunray.
Singleton Tailfire is aged in a combination of European and American oak casks. The names draw inspiration from the brand’s logo of a leaping salmon – Sunray and Tailfire are artificial fly used in salmon fishing.
Other releases in the Singleton range include a Singleton 12 year old as well as a 15 year old single malt whisky.
The Singleton Tailfire Whisky Review
REGION: Speyside
ABV: 43%
COLOUR: It is a dark bronze colour with hints of red glistening in the glass.
NOSE: Sweet and spicy with caramel, candied fruit, cherries and marzipan. There are notes of vanilla and fruity Christmas cake.
PALATE: Without water, the palate is spicy and has a bit of a pepper spice bite. There are hints of chocolate cherries as well. Water smooths out the Singleton Tailfire. It lessens the spicy bite and brings forth notes of vanilla oak and wood. The bold fruitiness promised by the nose has softened. Malt and fruits of the forest notes flirt around the background.
FINISH: Big and bold with lots of spice, wood, cherries and bitter lemon. This is a very drinkable dram.
RATING: VERY GOOD
The Singleton Tailfire whisky does not cause a tailspin, however, it is a good whisky for someone trying out whisky for the first time. Another good point is that it is also affordable.
The Singleton website suggests you pair this Tailfire with a panacotta with red fruits, Brie and dark cocoa chocolate. With all the spicy notes in this whisky, I am guessing it will also pair well with cheese. Something I will test in future.
I have also tried the Singleton 15 year old whisky. See my thoughts on this interesting Dufftown release.
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