Port Dundas closed just shy of two centuries of operation. The distillery closed the doors on the 1st of July 2009. The demolition of the iconic chimney was even broadcast live on television. We will taste an older one that Diageo launched in their yearly Special Editions of 2011. It was the first grain ever in that bespoke series. First it matured for three years on bourbon casks, then it got an impressive 17 year old second maturation on a combination of European oak, first fill bourbon casks and fomer sherry casks. The color says it all! The nose is simply stunning! Lots of sherry notes of cake with chocolate, plum liqueur, blueberries, oranges, candied syrup and parma violets (the purple gummi kind). Dates, strawberries, red-lace-candy, cherry juice and even something that reminds me of rum. Cinnamon and baker’s spices. Succulent, dark and complex. Sturdy arrival on the palate, nicely piquant on cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. Immediately honeysweet on dark and red fruit, chocolate cookies with orange filling, hard strawberry candy but with a little extra in the guise of mild bitter wood notes. Some hazelnuts and cold coffee appear midpalate. Fine balance. The finish is long, dark, sweet, a tad bitter and drying, but most of all simply excellent! This is without a doubt one of the best Port Dundas – and maybe even grain whiskies – that I ever tried. Great but expensive!
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