Port Dundas 32 Years Old 1973 Cask #128316 (Duncan Taylor)

This Port Dundas grain was from the independent bottler Duncan Taylor at 32 year old from 1973, drawn from cask 128316 and bottled at 59.3%. Some 408 bottles were drawn. Port Dundas, a vast Glasgow grain distillery opened in 1811 in the city of Glasgow, was shut in 2010 and demolished soon after. Single grain in its own right was always a sideline to its work for the blenders.

Distilled from a mash of wheat and malted barley and produced by continuous distillation in Coffey stills, it began as the light, sweet spirit grain whisky is known for. Maturation in Oloroso sherry gave the grain a darker, nutty and dried fruit character. Very old grain like this grows waxy and exotic, the years having slowly concentrated it. Filled at around sixty eight percent, the spirit slowly drew colour and sweetness from the wood.

Bottled at a cask strength 59.3%, it is rich. Dark fruit and walnut come from the Oloroso, while a clear vanilla rises from the lignin, coconut follows from the lactones, and caramelised sugars a toffee and creme brulee note, over a base of light citrus and tropical fruit. A touch of warm spice lifts the creamy body. The close is soft, oily and warm. This is a collectable remnant of a closed Glasgow giant.