On February the 8th, the world celebrated International Scotch Day. Initiated by Diageo, International Scotch Day was started to celebrate everything that gives the world’s favourite dram its unique character, flavour and personality. Over 70 countries worldwide had celebrations with large-scale events held in India, Mexico and South Africa.
I was privileged to share this day with model Shanina Shaik, one the Global Ambassadors for International Scotch Day. Diageo celebrated the day in style.
Held in the very hip Bolton Road Collection bar, Diageo treated guests to a variety of whisky-based cocktails and several glasses of Scotch. One of the releases I was fortunate to taste was the Singleton 15 year old single malt Scotch whisky.
I have tasted the Singleton 12 year old whisky and the Singleton Tailfire before. The Singleton 12 year old was my first introduction to this whisky from this Dufftown distillery in Banffshire in Speyside, so it was exciting to taste a bit more from this distillery.
According to some research, the Dufftown is one of the larger producers in Diageo’s whisky portfolio. However, Diageo markets only 3-4% of the malt as single malt. The majority of the alcohol produced is used in blends such as Bells Blended whisky and Johnnie Walker.
The Singleton 15 yo whisky was initially released for the travel retail market but is now available in general retail. It is aged in a mix of European and American oak casks.
Also Read: Dewar’s 15 yo whisky
The Singleton 15 year old Whisky Review
REGION: Speyside
ABV: 43%
COLOUR: Rich Gold
NOSE: Sweet fruitiness, oak, hints of honey, sweet anise seed spices mixed with ripe fruit, cereals and sugar cookies. Not the most complex nose, but bold and delicious.
PALATE: Sweet honey, pears, lightly toasted oak, white pepper, malt, vanilla and fresh plums. Nicely balanced between the sweetness and the spices. Needs a bit of water to release more complexity. Easy drinking.
FINISH: Sweet with hints of malt and pepper.
RATING: EXCELLENT
It is an easy-drinking 15 year old whisky. Indeed not the most complex whisky I have tasted this year, but it is fun, creamy and delicious with a great balance between sweet and peppery spices. According to the Malt.com, this Singleton 15 year old Scotch is perfect when paired with milk chocolate. Now that is a pairing I can get behind.
The Singleton of Dufftown range includes the Singleton Sunray’s as well as a Singleton 18 year old whisky. A traditional hip flask inspired the unique Singleton bottle shape. It retails for around R900 which is comparable to the Glenfiddich 15 year old.
Have you tried this Dufftown release yet?
Also Read: Balblair 15 yo whisky
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