In 2019, Macduff distillery maintained identical working hours and weekly mashing batches as the previous year, yet production decreased by nearly 65%. This phenomenon wasn't unique to Macduff—all distilleries faced similar challenges. The primary cause was a poor harvest of Concerto, the main barley variety used for whisky production. Compounding the issue, whisky distilleries typically require raw barley with low nitrogen content, but the previous year's crop exhibited elevated nitrogen levels, which ultimately impacts whisky yield. Typically, one ton of malted barley yields 410-415 liters of new make spirit. However, affected by the poor barley harvest and increased nitrogen content, the distillery's per-ton output decreased by 65-10 liters. While production volume isn't the sole determinant of whisky quality, this impact is significant for large-scale whisky distilleries. Barley suppliers, farmers, and distilleries continuously seek superior barley varieties. Optic was favored for over two decades; subsequently, Concerto gained popularity. Nowadays, each new barley variety seems to have a short lifecycle before enthusiasm shifts to the next. Currently, Laureate barley has entered the spotlight. Macduff is equipped with a 6.75-ton stainless steel semi-lauter mash tun and nine stainless steel fermentation tanks (29,800 liters) with a fermentation period of 55 hours. Additionally, the distillery features a unique distillation setup comprising five stills—two wash stills and three spirit stills. The lyne arms on four stills are uniquely curved, with one wash still featuring a U-shaped lyne arm, making the configuration more suitable for the stillhouse space. In 2019, the distillery mashed 26 batches weekly, operating 48 weeks per year, achieving a new make spirit output of 3.26 million liters. Since 2015, the distillery's core range has been marketed under The Deveron brand, consisting of 10-year-old (France exclusive), 12-year-old, and 18-year-old expressions. In 2013, Macduff launched its first duty-free limited editions under the Glen Deveron label, including 16-year-old, 20-year-old, and 30-year-old bottlings.
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