Dallas Dhu 26 Years Old 1981 Cask #90711 (Ian Macleod)

A Dallas Dhu of a 26 year old chosen by the independent Ian Macleod, distilled in 1981, from cask 90711, bottled at 50%, one of 342 bottles. Dallas Dhu, founded in 1898 and named the dark water valley, closed in 1983. It stands today as a museum, its stills, worm tubs and floor maltings kept just as they were.

This was distilled for a malty, fruity Speyside spirit, building the old fashioned Dallas Dhu style. A sherry cask wrapped the spirit in dried fruit and a nutty depth. In the oxidative, evaporative years concentration brings dried fruit and honey over a deep, waxy malt. The pot stills gave a fruity, oily spirit that ages slowly and with grace. Water came from the Altyre Burn, in the hollow south of Forres where the distillery sits. It was built in 1898 by the entrepreneur Alexander Edward, who first named it Dallasmore. With Dallas Dhu silent since 1983, every bottle draws on a finite, dwindling stock.

At its natural 50% it is concentrated. Apple, toffee and a malty oil, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Apple, honey and a waxy oil fill the middle. It finishes oily, fruity and warm, a wisp of smoke beneath. This is a rare Speyside single malt from a closed distillery.