Port Dundas 21 Year, Angus Dundee Distillers “Barrel to Bottle”
Whisky : Port Dundas 21 Year, Angus Dundee Distillers “Barrel to Bottle”
Country/Region : Scotland/Lowland (Single Grain)
ABV : 64.3%
Cask : Sherry Butt
Age : 21 Years (Distilled 21 May 1998, Bottled June 2019)
Nose : Woody and sweet, with bountiful dried berries. Opened into the musty smell of a wooden treehouse and the malty-creamy aroma of fresh Chantilly cream puffs. Waves of molasses, nutty browned butter, fresh baked kouign amann, and holiday spices.
Palate : Thick, syrupy, and dry. Incredibly rich open with Good & Plenty, butterscotch, and coffee candies. Floral spice followed the sugars with peppercorns, black vinegar, and salty-umami ramen stock. A bit of water accentuated creamy butter notes of milk rolls and sweet tobacco.
Finish : Lingering dryness and brown sugar.
Score : 6
Mental Image : Secret Treehouse Pastry Stash
Notes : An above average heavily sherried single grain, this was not the sort of thing I usually seek out and I expect those who love a sweet thick dram or a heady sherry bomb will rate this a point or two higher than I did.
This was rich and thick and while the nose was quite woody, the flavor profile was not over oaked. The initial tannic dryness was easily ameliorated with a few drops of water and this dram took to water quite well, enough so that I ended up adding quite a bit more than a few drops and still found the flavors to really pop out of the glass while some of the initial heat and tightness faded entirely. Overall this cask had a great mix of sherried fruits and spice with lovely pastry notes that tied everything together nicely.
