Silent Distillery Profile; Dallas Dhu (Dallas Doo) 

by Lawrence Graham

Operational: 1899, silent from 1929-36 and from 1939-47

Closed: 1983 and the last cask filled on March 16th, October 1983

Region: Speyside (Findhorn)

Last Operational Owner: Scottish Malt Distillers, a subsidiary of the Distillers Company Limited (DCL).

Current Owner: Historic Scotland

Address: Mannachie Road, Forres, Morayshire, IV36 2RR 

The original meaning of the name “Dai leas dubh” means “Field by the Black Water fall” or “BlackWaterValley”, although some accounts list the Gaelic name as “Dalais Dubh”. William de Ripley (1165-1215) was given lands on Dallas, Scotland by King William the Lion. The distillery was briefly known as “Dallasmore” and the distillery was for a time served by the now defunct Forres to Avimore rail line. In it’s time the output from the Dunnage warehouses contributed to the blends of Roderick Dhu and Benmore. 

The construction of the distillery was commenced in 1898 on the estate of Alexander Edward of Sanquhar who was a prominent Speyside distiller. Early on (sometime in 1898 or 99) Edward sold the rights to the distillery to the blending firm Wright & Greig Ltd of Glasgow and the architect was the famed Charles Doig. 

In 1921 after one other owner (JP O’Brian & Co) the distillery was sold to Benmore Distillers Ltd, an English consortium who also owned Benmore and Lochhead distilleries in Campbeltown and Lochindaal distillery on Islay and in 1929 DCL took over Benmore Distillers. 

On April 9th, 1939 a fire destroyed the still house and much of the equipment however later in 1939 the still house was rebuilt. The distillery was extended in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Electricity did not reach Dallas Dhu until the 1950’s and the water wheel still contributed to the power pool into the 1970’s. 

At the same time in 1983 that Dallas Dhu was closed by the Distillers Company Limited, they also closed Banff, Brora, Glen Albyn, Glen Mhor, Knockdhu, NorthPort and St. Magdalene. 

Dallas Dhu has been operated as a non working distillery museum by Historic Scotland since 1988 and also includes a shop, picnic area and refreshments. The tour is in the self guided audio-visual style and full details including open times can seen at www.historic-scotland.gov.uk . 

The water source for the distillery was the Altyre Burn which is known locally as the Scourie Burn. 

Sadly, the license to distill was returned in 1992 however visitors comment that the distillery looks like it could start production anytime as all the plant and equipment are in place. 

Sources; Scotch Missed by Brian Townsend, The Scottish Whisky Distilleries by Misako Udo, The Scotch Whisky Industry Record by Charles Craig, The Whisky Trails by Brian Townsend and our very own Charles Mclean writing in the Mitchell Beazley Pocket Guide “Scotch Whisky”. 

Dallas Dhu Historic Scotland

This article was originally published on the Malt Maniacs and is reprinted here with permission of the author.

TOP PICKS

• George Dickel K&L Exclusive 9 Year Old Single Barrel 04L430 N55-3-2 Tennessee Whiskey 750ml (ships as 1.5L) ($44.99)
  (NOTE: This bottle will ship as a 1.5 L size bottle due to its size) Production methods really haven’t changed at George Dickel distillery since 1959, nor have the practices — they’ve been making old-fashioned Tennessee whiskey from corn the only way they know how. That’s why when Dickel announced they would begin doing a single barrel program with retailers we were amazed (and excited). Just like with Bourbon, corn is the main component for Tennessee whiskey and is important in particular because of Dickel’s 84% corn mashbill that results in a full-bodied, creamy sweetness that sets it apart from its Kentucky brethren. It also passes very slowly though charcoal after distillation, allowing it to pull out all the impurities they don’t want in the whiskey, resulting in a soft, mellow, and smooth spirit. But now imagine all that sweet corn richness from a single barrel at 103 proof! Barrel 04L430 N55-3-2 has a concentrated core of charred o ak, caramel corn, and big spice. The palate explodes and the high proof balances out the richness perfectly. It’s a match made in heaven. (David Driscoll, K&L Spirits Buyer)

• George Dickel K&L Exclusive 9 Year Old Single Barrel 3L29 G78-5-8 Tennessee Whiskey 750ml (ships as 1.5L) ($44.99)
  (NOTE: This bottle will ship as a 1.5 L size bottle due to its size) Production methods really haven’t changed at George Dickel distillery since 1959, nor have the practices — they’ve been making old-fashioned Tennessee whiskey from corn the only way they know how. That’s why when Dickel announced they would begin doing a single barrel program with retailers we were amazed (and excited). Just like with Bourbon, corn is the main component for Tennessee whiskey and is important in particular because of Dickel’s 84% corn mashbill that results in a full-bodied, creamy sweetness that sets it apart from its Kentucky brethren. It also passes very slowly though charcoal after distillation, allowing it to pull out all the impurities they don’t want in the whiskey, resulting in a soft, mellow, and smooth spirit. But now imagine all that sweet corn richness from a single barrel at 103 proof! Barrel 3L29 G78-5-8 has lots of wood tannin and dark oak g oodness, but a bit of burnt sugar and creme brulee on the backend. This is most nuanced of the bunch, but that’s not saying much. It still explodes at 51.5% ABV and still brings the sweet corny goodness, albeit in a more subdued manner. (David Driscoll, K&L Spirits Buyer)

NEW ARRIVALS

Scotland – Single Malt Scotch

• Hazelburn 10 Year Old Rundlets & Kilderkins Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 7 available ($115.99)

United States – Bourbon and Rye

• George Dickel K&L Exclusive 9 Year Old Single Barrel 03L29 G78-2-26 Tennessee Whiskey 750ml (ships as 1.5L) ($44.99)

• George Dickel K&L Exclusive 9 Year Old Single Barrel 04F29 L56-5-5 Tennessee Whiskey 750ml (ships as 1.5L) ($44.99)

• George Dickel K&L Exclusive 9 Year Old Single Barrel 04F29 L56-6-20 Tennessee Whiskey 750ml (ships as 1.5L) ($44.99)

• George Dickel K&L Exclusive 9 Year Old Single Barrel 04L28 N54-3-6 Tennessee Whiskey 750ml (ships as 1.5L) ($44.99)

BACK IN STOCK…

Blended Scotch

• Buchanan’s 12 year Scotch Whisky 750ml ($39.99)

Single Malt Indian Whisky

• Amrut “Fusion” Indian Single Malt Whiskey 750ml ($64.99)

Ireland – Irish and Blended Scotch

• Green Spot Single Pure Pot Still Irish Whiskey 750ml – 8 available ($44.99)

Scotland – Single Malt Scotch

• Big Peat Islay Vatted Malt Scotch Whisky 750ml – 4 available ($55.99)

• Hazelburn 12 year old Triple Distilled Campbeltown Single Malt Whisky 750ml (Elsewhere $100) – 5 available ($86.99)

United States – Bourbon and Rye

• Ascendant Spirits Breaker Limited Edition Bourbon Whisky 750ml – 5 available ($44.99)

• Knob Creek Single Barrel Bourbon 750ml ($39.99)

• Roughstock Montana Straight Rye Whiskey 750ml – 5 available ($49.99)

K&L Wine Merchants
http://www.klwines.com
Phone: 877-KLWines (toll free 877-559-4637)
Email: wine@klwines.com
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA

www.ralfy.com visits India and expresses some controversial opinions with Whisky Review 451 – Amrut Port & Peated Single Cask

Whisky Magazine’s July issue throws a spotlight on Canada, investigating some of the exciting new directions being taken by Canadian distillers and profiling the country’s top five whiskies. Moving to Scotland, we explore the islands of Islay and Jura, revealing the little known connections that these islands’ notable distilleries have to George Orwell, The First World War and Jazz, and providing a guide to the best places to stay and visit. Also included with the July issue is our annual guide to the Great Whiskey Bars of the World – an essential pocket book to help whiskey-lovers find the best drams wherever they go.

It will be followed on the 12^th September by our US Special, drawing the attention of Whiskey connoisseurs the World over to the latest developments in US distilling, ageing and drinking. Reviews include a look at a wide range of whiskies from the US, providing plenty for readers to explore. From the other side of the Atlantic, we also take a look at Scandinavian whiskey and how the country has become one of the World’s key producers. 

Editorial Features

 Issue No.120

Special Features

Canadian Whiskies

Whisky Travel: Islay and Jura

Whisky Bars of the World supplement

Publication Date: 25^th July

Issue No.121

 Special Features

Whisky Travel: Scandinavia

Special Features: A focus on a wide range of whiskies from across the US.

Special Distribution from the Kentucky Bourbon Festival

Publication Date: 12^th September

NEW PRODUCT LAUNCH

The Tomatin Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky range has always offered a wide range of flavours with its variety of wood finishes including Sherry, Bourbon and, more recently, Virgin Oak.

Along with our new 14 Year Old Port Wood Finish, we are delighted to announce the addition of a 1988 Vintage expression to our core range. This expression will be released in batches.

The contents have been vatted from a combination of ex-Bourbon and ex-Port casks.

THE WHISKY

Cask Type: Matured in a combination of Bourbon casks and Port pipes

Strength: 46% alc./vol.

Availability: Batch 1 (2500 bottles) available worldwide from April 2014, permanent addition to core range.

Distribution: Worldwide

Price: RRP £159.99 per 70cl bottle / $250 per 75cl bottle

This whisky is sweet and fresh – a delicious whisky which, on the nose, smells like breakfast in a glass!

AROMA; Strawberry jam, honey glazed ham, Cantaloupe melon, freshly squeezed orange juice.

PALATE; Sweet with buttery notes; candy floss, Victoria sponge. Red fruits, eucalyptus, mint, coconut. Fading smoke.

FINISH; Fresh with lots of depth.

NOTES

• LAUNCH DATE: April 2014

• LAUNCH DETAILS: The launch will be supported by competitions on the brand’s social media channels and a Product Film on You Tube.

• The Tomatin Distillery Co Ltd is a producer and blender of Scotch whisky, boasting a strong core range of single malt whiskies along with a range of popular blends.

• Website: www.tomatin.com  

Facebook: facebook.com/Tomatin1897

Twitter & Instagram: @Tomatin1897

YouTube: youtube.com/user/tomatin1897

World Whisky Day Shop Now LIVE!

World Whisky Day – Saturday 17th May 2014
Not long now!

We are delighted to welcome our friends at The Glenlivet, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, Bruichladdich, Compass Box, Douglas Laing & Co, Kilchoman Distillery, Wemyss Malts, Kingsbarns Distillery, Tomatin Distillery and The Tweedale who are all celebrating World Whisky Day with us this year…more to announce soon.

Find out here how they will be celebrating!
________________________________________
World Whisky Day Shop NOW LIVE!

Click here to see the new World Whisky Day Shop!
________________________________________
Still time to register your World Whisky Day event

It only takes a few seconds to register your event.

Click here to register your event for free.

Event ideas:
Host at an event at your local bar.
Host an event in your own home.
Get your local whisky shop to arrange a special tasting.
It’s easy to get involved.

________________________________________
Donate to Just a Drop and to help give people safe and clean drinking water.

We are proud to be supporting Just a Drop, an international water aid charity. We hope that you can help us raise money for them. Each time you have a whisky on World Whisky Day why not donate £1/$1/€1 to Just a Drop.

To learn more and donate to Just a Drop click here.

________________________________________
Help #worldwhiskyday become a global trending topic!

By joining our ThunderClap twitter/facebook will automatically send out a message on World Whisky Day and it can help spark a global trend.

It only takes a couple clicks! Click here to join in!
________________________________________
In other news

World Whisky Day Whisky 2014 Edition available soon – to register interest click here We’ll let you know when they are available to buy! Still time to get a World Whisky Day Event Pack sent out to you! To register for one click here. Get in the spirit, mark the date in your diary and lets raise a dram to World Whisky Day 2014. Visit the website now to find events that are happening near you or to register your own event: http://www.worldwhiskyday.com

In the meantime if you want to discuss your plans or find out more about getting involved then please email info@worldwhiskyday.com or call +44 (0)131 208 2582.

Kind regards,
Blair Bowman

Founder
World Whisky Day
www.worldwhiskyday.com

Craft Bourbon from Kansas and Oregon Available at Mora’s Fine Wine & Spirits (E. Setauket, New York)  

Dark Horse Distillery Reserve Bourbon (Kansas) – $47.99

6 bottles in stock! 

Henry DuYore’s Straight Bourbon (Oregon) – $43.99

10 bottles in stock! 

Nationwide shipping available! 

Mora’s Fine Wine & Spirits

www.moraswines.com

631-941-4458   sev.clemens@moraswines.com

Le Nez du Whisky – follow your nose

Regular readers of the blog will know one thing that we’re always keen to learn more about is all things olfaction-related (see Tim’s post last August). So when I was offered to chance to try the new Le Nez du Whisky aroma kit, how could I say no?

Le Nez du Whisky in all its glory

French wine expert Jean Lenoir first released Le Nez du Vin, a set of the most common aromas found in wine, in 1981. The success of the original, now translated into more than 10 languages, including Russian and Chinese, led to further forays into the worlds of coffee and Armagnac, and now into whisky.

It’s quite bright

At £275, it’s not cheap, but does contain a wealth of information – 54 aromas to nose, a flavour wheel giving the ‘answers’, and a 140-page book. The book is compiled by Lenoir with help from whisky writer Charles MacLean (12 tasting notes and 100 years of Scotch malt whisky), Martine Nouet (whisky and food pairing) and professor of chemistry Hubert Richard – the latter who, along with aromatician Karine Lasalle, helped to perfect the aromas.

So, what did the practical tests reveal?

Testing it out on my colleagues, it became clear that some people are better at deciphering the contents than others. They are intended to be extreme versions of the flavours one finds in whisky – upon opening the set, you are hit with a waft of different aromas, a melange of herbaceous, fruity and smoky notes. It should also be said that some of the aromas are more obvious, two particularly instantly recognisable ones being custard and pineapple (the former not something I often get as a tasting note).

Rocky smells…

As can be seen from the photos, I found some are more pleasant to the nose than others. The smells range in pungency, with a few hitting you in the face as soon as you take the lid off, while others are much more subtle.

Just a dab behind the ears…

Broiled (grilled) meat was one of my favourites (even though they look like little aftershave bottles, I’d advise you against dabbing them on skin rather than simply smelling them – I’m struggling to get that particular smell off my neck) and the pear bottle filled me with dread (I’m unusual in being ‘pear-phobic’, so rare that I can’t even find it mentioned in The Phobia List, although it seems I’m not alone).

One thing that was interesting, and indeed a question that has puzzled the whisky community, is why some people are particularly sensitive to sulphur and others aren’t. Nosing the vial, I was struggling to pick out any aroma, whereas Billy identified it immediately.

The book explains each aroma in detail: for example, the paragraph on geraniums gives a basic description of the flower, before going into technical detail. Each flavour is listed with a list of whiskies that the aroma can be found in – these vary in size, from seven for geraniums up to four columns for oak. I can’t help feeling however that it would be just as useful, if not more so, to have a list of aromas by whisky, rather than the other way round.
I tried it out using one of my favourite whiskies, Compass Box Hedonism, where I could pick out the orange and caramel notes without much effort, but the toasted almond was harder to detect (although being batch variable, this wasn’t entirely surprising). Aromas can also transport us back to places and memories, and upon sniffing seaweed and seashell, I was immediately reminded of my visit to Islay’s Machir Bay on a cold windswept day in February.

The maritime aromas transported me back to a windy February day at Machir Bay on Islay

My overall impression is of a fascinating and enlightening kit – something that has enhanced my knowledge of the sense of smell in whisky. At the price, it’s aimed at aficianados who want to add some extra knowledge when writing tasting notes or describing whiskies. Producing 54 vials to such a standard must have been a painstaking task. The book is a fascinating read on its own, with an in-depth description of whisky regions, the production process, how to nose and why it’s important – it would make a great book in its own right. It’s also an excellent reference point for helping to decipher flavours in whiskies – I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve smelt a whisky and racked my brain to try and remember what the aroma reminds me of.

Coming from a wine background, I’m familiar with Le Nez du Vin and indeed Le Nez du Armagnac, and this is a superb addition to the range. It’s not perfect and there are tweaks that could make it even better – the listing by whiskies as mentioned earlier, and some common aromas not being included (toffee is a glaring omission), but this is by far the best kit I’ve come across on the market and is invaluable for those who wish to learn more about the wonders of olfaction.

Originally published by The Whisky Exchange – “Le Nez du Whisky – follow your nose” and appears here with permission.

www.ralfy.com re-reviews an old classic blend which has ‘re-invented’ itself with Whisky Review 450 – Black Bottle Blended Scotch re-reviewed

We are pleased to announce that our popular 1842 Live Casks are now available to order in 20cl, 35cl and 70cl sizes. Your order will be bottled by hand in store to order. You can even choose to have your bottle in a presentation sleeve if you wish.

Islay Cask Whisky 58%

Prices start from £15.60

Nose: Definitely Islay with full smoke and peat from the moment you open this dram, Sweet pepper and citrus fruits arrive with the classic iodine edges one would expect from a classic Islay.

Palate: Initial hit of peat arrives with some waves of salted nuts and smoked fruity barbecue tones across the palate with an abundance of citrus and creamed fruits that allow this cask to give the drinker a balanced dram.

Finish: Clean sweet edges, warming soft smoke and waves of classic Islay peat linger with that unmistakable medicinal note we expect from an Islay. It’s not overwhelming in it’s peat & smoke as a final flourish of sweet citrus fruits balance the last of this dram on the palate.

Cambeltown Cask Whisky 59.5%

Prices start from £15.60

Nose: Sherry cask influence gives this a slight dark chocolate tone, lots of rounded fruits and sweet smoke.

Palate: Classic campbeltown as one would expect, fruity with that classic campbeltown salted toffee tone, very full bodied and well balanced smoke and fruit keep coming across the whole palate.

Finish: Smooth and sweet with an abundance of fruity tones from the sherry cask influence with a gentle spice and sweet smoke

Lowland Cask Whisky 56.4%

Nose: Soft fruits with hints of fresh churned toffee. Summer time in a bottle!

Palate: Light fruity tones mingle with a rich creamy edge to give a perfectly balanced palate, lots of rich sweet candied orange and milk chocolate’s glide across the middle palate with a slight tingling tone that freshens this rather enjoyable dram.

Finish: Creamy rich and sweet with just the right amount of spice to lift this great cask malt one more time.

Highland Cask Whisky 60%

Nose: Classic tones of spiced fruits hints of sweet soft smoke

Palate: Tingling smooth and the spice from the nose, fruit cake and honey, tablet and fudge tones with hints of oak smoke mix things up across the palate.

Finish: Long lingering rich candy with a slight dry fruity edge making this a great after dinner dram.

(It’s nice to see William Cadenhead & Co finally discover the internet – WI).