Dallas Dhu 31 Years Old 1980 Cask #2106 (Signatory)

The Pitlochry bottler Signatory Vintage selected this Dallas Dhu, a 31 year old, distilled in 1980, from cask 2106, bottled at 60.2%, one of 196 bottles. Dallas Dhu made a malty, fruity Speyside spirit, almost all of it for blends. The very last cask was filled on the sixteenth of March 1983, when the distillery closed.

Made in copper pot stills before the distillery closed, giving an oily spirit with a wisp of smoke. A bourbon barrel held it, vanilla and a soft toffee over the oily malt. At a great, fragile age oxidation rules, sotolon lending maple and old oak as beeswax and a warm spice linger. The slow loss of the angel's share concentrates the fruity, oily core over the decades. Long ageing turns the fresh fruit towards dried fruit, wax and a warm spice. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and coconut over the oily malt. No more was made after 1983, though the distillery still stands as a museum.

At a full 60.2% it is bold yet fruity. A fruity, honeyed sweetness, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Beneath it run malty fruit, honey and a soft oil. A malty, honeyed finish ends on apple and toffee. This is a rare Speyside single malt from a closed distillery.