Dallas Dhu 10 Years Old (G&M)

A Dallas Dhu of a 10 year old chosen by the Elgin house Gordon and MacPhail, bottled at 40%. Dallas Dhu is a closed Speyside distillery, kept intact as a working museum by Historic Environment Scotland. With the distillery long silent, every bottle draws on a finite, dwindling stock.

This was distilled for a malty, fruity Speyside spirit, for a fruity, oily make of real depth. A refill bourbon hogshead held it, keeping the fruity character to the fore. Through integration spirit and wood marry, vanillin settling into vanilla as ethyl esters lend a riper orchard fruit. The clean spirit shows the cask clearly, vanilla and honey over a malty fruit. Dallas Dhu is the best preserved of the lost distilleries, kept whole as a museum. Rather than demolish it, Historic Scotland preserved it whole, opening it to the public in 1988. The very last cask was filled on the sixteenth of March 1983, when the distillery closed. Closed in 1983, it was preserved whole rather than demolished, its profile fixed for good.

At 40% it is gentle, creamy and fruity. Baked apple, honey and a waxy oil, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Beneath it run malty fruit, honey and a soft oil. A long, fruity finish carries a waxy honey. This is Dallas Dhu, the dark water valley, preserved as a museum.