Port Dundas 52 Years Old 1964

This official single grain Port Dundas, a 52 year old from 1964 and bottled at 44.6%. Just 752 bottles were filled. One of Scotland's great grain distilleries, Port Dundas was founded in 1811 in the north of Glasgow and closed in 2010 just short of two centuries. Its grain fed great blends such as Johnnie Walker and Haig for generations.

Grain whisky like this was distilled continuously in tall Coffey column stills using wheat, malted barley and soft Loch Katrine water, giving a soft, clean grain spirit. Ex-Bourbon American oak shaped it, gentle wood that flatters light grain. At this great age grain turns intense and polished, the oak deep and the strength easing. Refill oak, having given its sharpest compounds to an earlier fill, works slowly and lets the spirit lead.

At 44.6% it is soft and rounded. Lignin gives vanilla, oak lactones lend a soft coconut, and a creme brulee and butterscotch note, set over the soft tropical fruit of well aged grain. The texture is oily and mouth coating, a hallmark of mature grain. The finish is long, sweet and softly oaky. This is a finite pour from a Glasgow distillery long gone.