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Distillery Profile: Macduff

Macduff is a single malt distillery in the east Highlands of Scotland, close to the coastal town of Banff.

 

The Deveron brand, which was previously named Glen Deveron, sells over half a million bottles per year across the world. It has a particularly strong presence within the travel retail sector.

However, the distillery’s main function, and the reason it was built, is to provide single malt for blends. It is particularly associated with the popular William Lawson’s blended Scotch brand, for which it is a major ingredient. The blend is most sold in France but also popular in Spain, Portugal and Mexico.

A Bit of History

The Macduff distillery was established in 1960. This was a time that saw a Scotch whisky industry boom on the back of increased sales of blends. Several distilleries were built to support this, especially in Speyside and the Highlands. It was founded by Macduff Distillers Ltd. – this was formed of a group of Glasgow whisky brokers including George Crawford, Marty Dyke, Brodie Hepburn and James Stirrat.

The distillery was designed by renowned mid-century architect William Delme-Evans.  In 1966 the distillery was sold to Block, Grey & Block and they formed Glendeveron Distilleries. Then in 1972 Macduff was acquired by William Lawson Distillers, part of the larger Martini & Rossi group. They saw the distillery as perfect for supplying their popular William Lawson’s blend. This was the beginning of Macduff’s association with the brand.

Martini & Rossi operated Macduff for over 20 years before being purchased by Bacardi in 1993. They remain the current owners and run it via John Dewar & Sons, their Scotch whisky wing. Under Bacardi’s ownership both the single malt brand and William Lawson’s blend have grown in sales considerably.

Background

Macduff distils a soft, sweet and fruity spirit that exhibits green apple and nutty notes. The new make spirit is often described as having a slight oily texture. Most of the spirit is matured in one cask type – ex-bourbon barrels sourced from the American whiskey industry. A small percentage is also matured in ex-sherry casks from Spain.

The single malt range is released by the owners under The Deveron name. This was previously known as Glen Deveron but changed in 2015. There are two age statements at 10- and 12 Years Old. There are four further whiskies for travel retail at 16-, 20-, 25- and 28 Years Old. You will only find this Highland malt labelled as Macduff by independent bottlers.

The Geeky Bit

The Macduff distillery is equipped with a 7.8 tonne mash tun, which runs 27 mashes per week. Each mash is fed to one of nine stainless steel washbacks, which have an individual capacity of 34,000 litres. The fermentation time is 55 hours.

There are five stills – two wash stills and three spirit stills. This is unusual as stills tend to work in pairs at most distilleries. The quirkiness does not stop there – the stills have upwardly tilting lyne arms that have right-angled kinks in them. And the spirit stills also have rare horizontal condensers. The annual production capacity is four million litres.

One To Buy | The Deveron 10 Years Old

The only bottling readily available on the UK market and it is somewhat of a classic. A hidden gem of a Highland whisky that is waiting to be discovered. It is bottled at 40% ABV. Expect soft, sweet and fruity aromas on the nose with plenty of green apple, vanilla and a twist of orange peel. The whisky is slightly bolder when tasted with butterscotch, baked apple and hazelnut notes supported by a delicate gingerbread-like spice.

 

by Matt Chambers
Master of Whisky at Whisky 1901
30/06/2025

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**Disclaimer**: Important information. Please read carefully before making any purchase. This communication is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Whisky 1901 Ltd is not a regulated financial institution and is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Any references to “investment,” “broker,” “adviser,” or similar terminology are used descriptively only and should not be interpreted as regulated financial services.

Whisky 1901 Ltd does not provide financial or investment advice, does not assess suitability, and does not make recommendations. Any decision to purchase whisky casks is made solely by the customer, based on their own judgment and, where appropriate, independent professional advice.

Whisky is sold as a physical, tangible asset and not as a financial product. Purchasing whisky carries risks that differ from regulated investments such as stocks or bonds, and customers should make purchase decisions independently and based on their own research.

Key Risks and Considerations:

1. Please be aware that whisky casks are unregulated in the UK and that the value is variable, meaning it can both increase and decrease. 

2. Understand that you have 14 days to change your mind and request a full refund under our cooling-off period.

3. All Clients of Whisky 1901 Ltd must be aged 18 years or older to make a purchase, in accordance with UK law and regulations regarding the sale of alcohol to minors.

4. Please note that the volume of spirit will decrease over time due to evaporation, known as “the Angels’ share”.

5. Please be aware that “New Make” spirit must be matured for a minimum of 3 years, during which its alcoholic strength could be reduced. However, for the product to be classed as “Whisky”, it must retain a minimum strength of 40%.

6. Please understand that as a buyer you may get back less than the amount paid. Additionally, past performance is not necessarily indicative of future performance.

7. The sale price offered by Whisky 1901 Ltd includes a discretionary commercial markup. This markup is applied to the acquisition cost of the whisky and reflects both the costs incurred in connection with the provision of services including, but not limited to, storage, movement and maintenance of casks, insurance, and associated administrative and software infrastructure and a profit margin retained by Whisky 1901 Ltd in the ordinary course of business.

As a result of the markup applied, there is a material difference between the Company’s acquisition cost of a cask and the price at which it is sold to investors.
Investors should be aware that this markup creates a difference between the Company’s acquisition cost and the price at which the cask is sold. This spread may impact the potential for future returns and may affect the ability to achieve a profit on resale. Comparable casks may be available from other sources at different prices. Prospective purchasers should conduct their own due diligence and consider obtaining independent financial advice before making any investment decision.

8. Please recognise that the cask price can fluctuate and the price of casks can go down as well as up, neither of which are guaranteed.

9. Whisky casks are a long term maturing asset and therefore it is advised to be held for a minimum of 5 to 10 years.

10. Whisky casks are an illiquid asset. There is no guaranteed secondary market, no guaranteed timeframe for resale and no obligation on Whisky 1901 LTD to buy back or sell the cask on your behalf.

11. Please understand that the products and services we offer may not be suitable for all customers. If you have any doubts, we advise you to seek advice from an independent financial advisor.

12. Finally all whisky casks are stored in HMRC bonded warehouses in Scotland and are comprehensively insured against risks including fire, theft and accidental damage, insurance policy is updated annually. The customer understands that any cask investment can be physically verified via a company organised visits to warehouses where tastings can also be accommodated.

 

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