Dallas Dhu 25 Years Old 1982 Cask #706 (Signatory)

From the Pitlochry bottler Signatory Vintage, a 25 year old Dallas Dhu, distilled in 1982, from cask 706, bottled at 43%, one of 283 bottles. Dallas Dhu, a lost Speyside distillery south of Forres, fell silent in 1983. The very last cask was filled on the sixteenth of March 1983, when the distillery closed.

This was worked through the pot stills for an oily, fruity make, for a fruity, oily make of real depth. Decades in ex-Bourbon oak rounded the spirit, honey and toffee over fruit. Oxidative, evaporative ageing turns the malt deep and waxy, ethereal esters and a faint sotolon (maple). Dallas Dhu is the best preserved of the lost distilleries, kept whole as a museum. Long ageing turns the fresh fruit towards dried fruit, wax and a warm spice. The pot stills gave a fruity, oily spirit that ages slowly and with grace. It was designed by Charles Doig, the great distillery architect, with his pagoda roofed kiln. Closed in 1983, it was preserved whole rather than demolished, its profile fixed for good.

At 43% it is gentle, creamy and fruity. A soft, oily fruitiness, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A baked apple and a soft toffee lift it. A malty, honeyed finish ends on apple and toffee. This is a rare Speyside single malt from a closed distillery.