New Release: MacDuff 27 Year Old Douglas Laing Xtra Old Particular for Bar Campbeltoun Loch #11493 52.9%

The fruitiness was diverse and the quality of sherry notes was excellent. MacDuff MACDUFF 27yo DOUGLAS LAING XTRA OLD PARTICULAR for Bar Campbeltoun Loch #11493 52.9% one of 102 bottles, SHERRY BUTT The aroma was robustly sherry with prunes, raisins, and a touch of grape juice pressed with the skin, black sugar, nuances of agrumel rum or herbal liqueur, clove and cinnamon, slightly roasted malt and cream. When drinking, it starts with a smooth mouthfeel expanding into concentrated fruits similar to the aroma, a refined sweetness balanced by gentle tannins and woodiness, with good malt and subtle ginger from the depth. Medium-bodied with a balanced, pleasant finish. 【Very Good】 This is MacDuff 27 years old (distilled in 1990) bottled by Bar Campbeltoun Loch, part of Douglas Laing's flagship series Extra Old Particular. Firstly, the sherry notes are not dominant but clearly expressed. Then, connected to this is a diverse range of concentrated fruits, with a sweet rum-like nuance and also some spice or malty nuances. As expected from the aroma, it has a smoother mouthfeel than its alcohol content suggests, with a rich yet refined sweetness balanced by tannins. It was an excellent MacDuff. Despite having several strong elements, it was well-balanced as a medium-bodied whisky, which was an impressive aspect. In terms of taste and price, it's not overly expensive, making it a nice release indeed. By the way, while Hunter Laing's Old & Rare in the same flagship series is a very expensive bottle with intense flavors, Douglas Laing's XOP here feels like it lowers the bar slightly. Considering its content, there are many XOP bottles that offer good value for money. This bottle is said to be the remaining stock from the previously released 2015 bottling (#10954), which was aged for an additional two years. I had assumed # was the cask number, but apparently Douglas Laing and Hunter Laing assign numbers per bottling rather than per cask. I didn't know that before. After additional aging, it felt much softer and milder compared to the previous one, with quite a different aroma. Even if you knew it was the same specification, you probably wouldn't realize it's from the same cask unless told. It would likely be mistaken for a sister cask with quite different characteristics. It was clearly softer and fruitier, but surprisingly, the coffee-like bitterness had faded despite the extended aging period. I'm aware that malt whisky often becomes softer and fruitier after bottling, with tannic astringency decreasing. This change might be influenced by the additional aging in air-filled casks after release. Furthermore, this bottle was tasted both early and late in the drinking process, giving an impression that the changes in its profile had progressed further. It was not only delicious but also very interesting in this regard, making it a noteworthy bottle.