Port Dundas 40 Years Old 1978 Cask #DL 12988 (Douglas Laing)

Douglas Laing selected this single grain Port Dundas, aged 40 year old, from 1978, drawn from cask DL 12988 and bottled at 58.7%. 163 bottles in all. Raised in 1811 at the highest point in Glasgow, Port Dundas grew into a major grain distillery before being closed in 2010 after two hundred years. After closure its casks passed largely to independent bottlers and a few official releases.

Grain whisky like this was made in patent column stills rather than pot stills on a wheat led mash with Loch Katrine water, giving a soft, clean grain spirit. Matured in an ex-Bourbon barrel, wood that rounds the spirit gently. Very old grain like this grows waxy and exotic, the years having slowly concentrated it. Continuous distillation strips the heavier notes, leaving a clean canvas for the wood.

At 58.7%, undiluted, it is concentrated. A clear vanilla rises from the lignin, coconut follows from the lactones, and caramelised sugars a toffee and creme brulee note, above the gentle grain sweetness beneath. Sweet and creamy, it coats the palate gently. A long, dessert sweet finish lingers. This is a piece of Glasgow distilling history in the glass.