Dallas Dhu 32 Years Old 1970 The Cooper’s Choice (The Vintage Malt Whisky Co Ltd.)

A 32 year old Dallas Dhu, this distilled in 1970 from the bottler The Vintage Malt Whisky Co Ltd, bottled at 46%. Dallas Dhu was built in 1898 by Alexander Edward, and made malt for the Roderick Dhu blend. Single malt is rare, mostly from the Rare Malts series and Gordon and MacPhail.

The spirit was drawn off worm tub cooled stills south of Forres, giving an oily spirit with a wisp of smoke. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, the wood adding a light honeyed vanilla. Ethereal and old, decades draw the malt to a waxy, honeyed delicacy of sotolon, old oak and dried fruit. Refill oak lets the malty Dallas Dhu character lead, orchard fruit and honey beneath. Its malty, fruity spirit went almost entirely into blends, never sold as an official single malt in its day. It stands today as a museum, its stills, worm tubs and floor maltings kept just as they were. Years in oak round the spirit, the fruit deepening to dried fruit, honey and toffee. No new spirit followed it after 1983, the stills kept as a museum piece.

At 46% it is clean and fruity. A soft, oily fruitiness, with a soft vanilla from the oak. The texture is oily and round, the fruit lifted by honey. The close is long, fruit over a malty oil. This is a malty, oily Speyside single malt of real age.