Berry Bros & Rudd 2002 Macduff
April 2, 2025
This time around I’m dipping my toe into the independent bottling pool once again, with a rare single malt spirit, released from one of the granddaddies of independent bottlers. The whisky is from the Macduff Distillery, located in Banff, Scotland, and the bottling’s been done by Berry Brothers & Rudd, headquartered in London, England.
A little about both. The Macduff distillery is relatively new, by Scottish standards, having been founded in 1960. You don’t see many Macduff single malts on the shelves because most of their spirit goes into blends, and a couple of single malts that are very popular in Italy.
Berry Brothers and Rudd is Britain’s oldest wine and spirits merchant, tracing its history back over 300 years. Probably better known for the wine side of their business, Berry Bros & Rudd has also played a big part in the Scotch whisky story, most notably as the company that created the Cutty Sark blend. But make no mistake: they’ve been an independent bottler of malt whiskies for over a century now.
I was in London a few months ago and was fortunate to be able to FIT in a visit to their new, dedicated Spirits Shop. at No.1 St. James’s Street, the same Mayfair district location the business has been at for over 300 years. I certainly hope they own the building by now. After spending way too much time looking at every release they had on display, I chose this particular bottling for several reasons. It was distilled in 2002, which is almost a quarter of a century ago, and came from a single cask. That intrigued me. But the other hook that got me, as it states on the label, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this bottle go to the MND Association, which is a disease that their Senior Buyer is afflicted with and they’re trying to help out. Seemed like a win-win purchase to me, helping out a worthwhile cause and getting my hands on what I hoped would be a decent bottle of whisky.
This 19 year old Highland Single Malt was bottled in 2021, matured in a sherry butt for its entire existence, and released at 58.6 percent ABV. The “information-packed” label clearly informs us that this Macduff is non-chill filtered and has all natural color. I mean, that’s kind of why I bought it.
In the glass, this whisky has a natural golden honey color to it.
And the legs that I can see inside the tasting glass begin moving slowly and then start making a quick beeline for the bowl of the glass, like someone just yelled “last call!”
But this is a first call for the nose.
Nose:
There is a scent of candied prunes hitting my nostrils initially. Then green apple slices. This is followed by a very pleasing smell of malt extract. Unexpected but not totally off-putting, I get the sense of turpentine. And then some lemon zest.
Palate:
There’s a sweetness, like what you might get from a swig of Pepsi, but Pepsi that’s been mixed with molasses. There is a fruity sweetness, like strawberry jam. However, on top of that I also get a slight harshness there. There is some citrus. The taste buds pick up a nice combo of spicy corn-on-the-cob that’s been slathered in butter. And honey-soaked lavender.
The fruitiness here is giving me permission to render a decision without adding water. But I thought I’d add a few drops, just for the fun of it.
Nose + H2O:
It brings out a little mellow change, like applesauce. There’s the smell of cherry cobbler, and perfume.
Palate + H2O:
The water accentuates the fruity notes, though it doesn’t mute that harshness. There’s burnt peanut butter toffee and coffee-soaked chocolate truffles.
Finish:
The finish is over pretty quickly. There’s a slight sweetness on the lips, then rosewater, a little grapefruit bitterness, and lavender tea with honey.
Rating:
I will admit that the price is slightly on the higher side with this one BUT because they’re committing at least £60 of each purchase to a worthwhile charitable cause, I’ll cut them some slack there. After spending over 18 years in a sherry butt, the flavors here are wide-ranging and pretty complimentary. And it’s not a sherry bomb. The limited release yielded 617 bottles and, at the time of this review, there are still bottles available. Now, is it the best independent bottling Berry Brothers has put out? Probably not. Is it an enjoyable whisky to try? I’d vote yes. I’m awarding the Berry Brothers & Rudd 2002 Macduff release an 8 finger pour.
Age Statement: 19 years
ABV: 58.6 %
Chill-filtered: no
E150a caramel coloring added: no
Average Price (700ml): £123 (UK)
