Lead on Macduff
Speyside’s most eastern distillery is something of an enigma, but it’s not without
influence. Ian Buxton paid it a visit
The towns of Macduff and Banff are located in the North-East of Scotland, on either side of the banks of the River Deveron, reputedly a âfirst-class, second-class salmon riverâ. Both are ancient settlements, today characterised by attractive architecture, spectacular cliff scenery and two busy harbours.
Over time, Macduff outgrew its neighbour, perhaps because, as one of Cumberlandâs staff officers wrote at the time of the â45, âthe town, I believe, lives chiefly by smuggling.â
Separated, not just by the entrepreneurial spirit of their ancestors and the river, they are forever joined by John Smeatonâs elegant seven arched bridge of 1779.
In 1740 the then Baron Braco (later Earl Fife) commissioned the renowned Scottish architect William Adam to build nearby Duff House at a cost of some £6.5 million. Well, alright, it was actually just over £70,000 but thatâs its equivalent in 21st century money. Today itâs an art gallery.
And it was here â in the old orchard of Duff House, right on the Macduff banks of the Deveron â that, in 1960, a consortium of Glasgow-based whisky brokers and businessmen built their new distillery.
Itâs the most easterly of the Speyside distilleries and not without influence, even if Macduff and its Glen Deveron single malt are little known in the United Kingdom.
The William Lawsons blend, with Glen Deveron at its heart, is even more anonymous in its homeland, but both are big sellers in Europe, being particularly popular i.....
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By Ian Buxton
Section : Distillery Focus
Page number : 44
