Dallas Dhu 17 Years Old 1970 (Sestante)

The Italian bottler Sestante selected this Dallas Dhu, a 17 year old, distilled in 1970, bottled at 40%. Dallas Dhu was built in 1898 by Alexander Edward, and made malt for the Roderick Dhu blend. The very last cask was filled on the sixteenth of March 1983, when the distillery closed.

This was drawn off worm tub cooled stills south of Forres, for a fruity, oily make of real depth. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, the oak quiet behind the malty spirit. At oxidative maturity aldehydes and esters lend dried fruit while ellagitannins add a drying, structured grip. Dallas Dhu is the best preserved of the lost distilleries, kept whole as a museum. The pot stills gave a fruity, oily spirit that ages slowly and with grace. It was built in 1898 by the entrepreneur Alexander Edward, who first named it Dallasmore. Most Dallas Dhu went quietly into the Roderick Dhu blend, a little surviving as single malt. Closed in 1983, it was preserved whole rather than demolished, its profile fixed for good.

At an approachable 40% it is soft and balanced. A fruity, malty sweetness, with a soft vanilla from the oak. The texture is oily and round, the fruit lifted by honey. It finishes oily, fruity and warm, a wisp of smoke beneath. This is the fruity ghost of Dallas Dhu.