Dallas Dhu 1979/2023 G&M PVC Private Collection #1404

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 54.1% | Colouring: No

Special Features:

This Dallas Dhu matured for 43 years in a single Refill American Hogshead and forms part of Gordon & MacPhail's Private Collection. Distilled on 8 June 1979, the whisky was bottled from cask number 1404 on 11 January 2023 at 54.1%. The cask yielded 155 bottles for The Recollection Series #2. Refill denotes a cask previously used to mature whisky.

The bottling combines tropical fruit with sweet and nutty notes and toasted oak. It dates from Dallas Dhu's production years before the distillery closed in 1983. The whisky contains no added colouring. The 0.7-litre bottle comes in a premium box.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, ripe tropical fruit combines with honey and dried banana. Subtle floral notes emerge, accompanied by vanilla pod and a hint of grapefruit.
• Palate: On the palate, pronounced orange peel notes meet butterscotch and Brazil nuts. Pineapple and mango then give way to toasted oak.
• Finish: The finish is full and sweet, with lemon and a subtle touch of spice.

Distillery/Bottler:

Dallas Dhu was founded near Forres in 1898 and lies on the western edge of Speyside. A waterwheel powered parts of its production until 1971. Changes of ownership, a fire and extended interruptions to production marked the distillery's history; barley rationing forced production to stop during the Second World War. The distillery closed in 1983 and passed to Scotland's heritage authority in 1988.

Gordon & MacPhail began in 1895 as a grocery, wine and spirits shop in Elgin. John Urquhart expanded the selection and maturation of whiskies from local distilleries, and his son George continued this work. For the Private Collection, members of the Urquhart family select long-matured Single Malts from well-known, lesser-known and closed distilleries.

The independent bottler monitors maturation by taking cask samples and uses their development to decide whether to bottle a whisky or leave it in the cask. An extensive collection of earlier samples provides a basis for comparison. Cask planning considers factors including size, stave thickness and the heat treatment of the wood. Gordon & MacPhail tailors these decisions to each distillery's character and the intended flavour profile.

Facts: