Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside
LCBO Price: $47.95
The Singleton Of Glendullan is perhaps the most readily available single malt in Ontario next to Glenfiddich and Glenlivet, and one of the least expensive.
While it sports the Singleton namesake, Glendullan is the distillery responsible for the production of this whisky. That is because The Singleton is a brand which encompasses two distilleries. Glendullan and Dufftown, both from the Speyside region of Scotland.
The presentation of this malt is quite handsome, coming in a tall, flask-shaped bottle with a green tint. The label is elegant, and the cork appears to be genuine. The presentation is reminiscent of Ballantine's blends, with it's use of cursive type-face and more elegant design cues.
On the nose, there is a very Glenfiddich-esque apple note with a touch of leather, subdued sherry, green banana, lemon zest, tangerine, pear, bourbon, pecans, cola and a pinch of salt/sea air. Overall I would describe the taste profile as having a "green" quality. Mainly green fruits, especially green banana if left to open up in the glass for a few minutes.
Tasting The Singleton Of Glendullan without water, the whisky exhibits an almost schizophrenic quality. There is sherry, and there is malt, but there doesn't seem to be enough of either. You get an unsatisfying wave of sherry, cut short too soon, and then a similar wave with the malt and a similarly unsatisfying finish. I attribute this to the aging in both sherry casks and bourbon casks. There is sherry, and there is bourbon, but the whisky is neither, so you're left wishing you had more of one of them, rather than less of both. There is also a bit too much heat here without water.
With water, the harshness is subdued, and the whisky opens up to reveal a much more balanced flavour profile. The bourbon notes fade away all but completely, and the malt becomes much more apparent. Most pleasingly, a smoky note reveals itself, with a finish not unlike Cragganmore 12 year old. Toasty malty notes and a pinch of smoke on the finish make this a much more enjoyable dram with water. There are still lingering notes of apple, green banana and spice. In fact, with the smoke and green banana, there is something about the finish of this whisky which is similar to Appleton Estate rums, though much subdued.
I much preferred The Singleton with water, and I encourage anyone wishing to purchase this whisky to add some (sparingly). The whisky is dense in it's flavour profile, and somewhat closed without it.
Overall, I would give this whisky 85/100. The presentation is handsome, but the nose is lackluster and a bit too green for my tastes. Without water, the whisky has a split personality, but opens up nicely once water is added.
Rating: 85/100
