Dallas Dhu 26 Year Old 1981 Duncan Taylor Rare Auld

This Dallas Dhu, from the long gone distillery turned museum in Forres, run by Historic Scotland, was bottled by Duncan Taylor in their Rare Auld series. I believe it to be a sherry cask, unless mistaken. It is sometimes hard to tell with these older casks (unless, of course, it is mentioned on the label, which is not the case here).

Very fruity and waxy. Think pears, pink grapefruit, but mostly kiwi. Metal and furniture polish give it a nice sheen (got it?). Walnuts, coconuts. Evolves into grassy notes. Think hay. Maybe even some flowers, although you need to dig deep for that. Very nice.

Very oily and yet soft. The fruit is still very sweet on kiwi, followed by strawberry, raspberry and banana. Quite some woodspice in the shape of nutmeg and cloves. Big peppers, too. Wood, gooseberries and grapefruit counter it somewhat. A bit zesty. Very nice evolution and very enjoyable.

The finish lasts forever, shows quite some smokiness from the wood, but peppery fruit is the images that lingers the longest in my mind’s eye.

Fantastic Dallas Dhu and probably the best I have tried so far.

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