Dallas Dhu 39 Years Old 1981 Cask #1162 (Private Collection)

A Dallas Dhu of a 39 year old chosen by the Elgin house Gordon and MacPhail, distilled in 1981, from cask 1162, bottled at 60.1%, one of 184 bottles. Dallas Dhu, a lost Speyside distillery south of Forres, fell silent in 1983. It passed to Benmore Distilleries and then to DCL by 1929, and was modernised over the years.

Drawn off worm tub cooled stills south of Forres, to build a fruity, honeyed Speyside character. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, the wood adding a light honeyed vanilla. At a great, fragile age oxidation rules, sotolon lending maple and old oak as beeswax and a warm spice linger. The malty, fruity spirit takes cask flavour well while keeping its oily, honeyed core. The very last cask was filled on the sixteenth of March 1983, when the distillery closed. The Glasgow blenders Wright and Greig bought it before it opened, for their Roderick Dhu blend, and gave it the name Dallas Dhu. With Dallas Dhu silent since 1983, every bottle draws on a finite, dwindling stock.

At 60.1%, undiluted, it is deep and fruity. Apple, toffee and a malty oil, with a soft vanilla from the oak. The mouthfeel is oily, the fruit carried on a malty body. The finish is deep, malty and honeyed. This is an oily, honeyed Speyside single malt.