Dallas Dhu 21 Years Old 1971 (Connoisseurs Choice)

A 21 year old Dallas Dhu, this distilled in 1971 from the Elgin house Gordon and MacPhail, bottled at 40%. Dallas Dhu, a lost Speyside distillery south of Forres, fell silent in 1983. The Glasgow blenders Wright and Greig bought it before it opened, for their Roderick Dhu blend, and gave it the name Dallas Dhu.

Run through the distillery's pot stills and worm tub condensers, for the malty, fruity make Dallas Dhu was known for. A refill bourbon hogshead held it, keeping the fruity character to the fore. Through oxidative maturity esters concentrate, fruit turning to dried fruit over a waxy, malty body. The worm tubs gave a meaty weight to the new spirit, softening to fruit over the years. It passed to Benmore Distilleries and then to DCL by 1929, and was modernised over the years. 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 clean and fruity. Malty fruit, honey and a soft oil, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A baked apple and a soft toffee lift it. It finishes oily, fruity and warm, a wisp of smoke beneath. This is an oily, honeyed Speyside single malt.