Whisky: Dallas Dhu 21 Year (1975) Rare Malts Selection

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 61.9%

Cask: Oak

Age: 21 Years (Distilled 1975, Bottled April 1997)

Nose: Grungy with aromatic woods and toasted grains; pepper and citrus; musty herbs and dirty oil-stained shop rags; even grungier with time— citrus, mildew, broken bricks, and dirty mop heads.

Palate: Medium-bodied, viscous and oily, bright citrus and herbal tobacco with a kiss of mint; dirtier and earthier flavors moved in with dirty shop rags and old mop heads; gradual shift toward diesel, minerals, and grass with a touch of old tire.

Finish: Long and lingering with citrus, grungy industrial notes, and a touch of sugary candies.

Score: 8 (88)

Mental Image: 90s Grungy Cynicism

Narrative & Notes: The aroma was grungy and dirty with aromatic woods and polish fronting toasted cereal grains and funky white pepper.  Citrus ran as a through-line connecting wood and grain to musty herbs, flint, dirty oil-stained shop rags, broken bricks, and dirty mop heads. Medium-bodied with big bright flavors and an oily mouthfeel. Pineapple and lemon-flavored tobacco with a kiss of menthol and fruit punch bubblegum popped before dirtier notions of earth, hay bales, discarded shop rags, dirty mops, and used steel wool blew in. Diesel, broken bricks, and flint or maybe graphite, carried on with lemon oil, a touch of lemongrass, and an old tractor tire.  The finish was very long with citrus, grungy industrial notes, and a hint of sugary candy.

Grungy and delicious— if I could fuel up my DeLorean I would drive straight back in time to pick up a few cases of this (and maybe all of the Rare Malts), I would. The whisky felt dirtier over time, and grunge was the only word that I felt really encapsulated the feeling of the malt that just does not care what you think man.

Overall, an absolute cracking introduction to the long-shuttered Dallas Dhu distillery. There was so much to admire on this whisky— well-integrated and structured flavors, a long and impressive finish, and a uniqueness that can feel absent on more recent whiskies. I will try to avoid becoming the guy longing for the old days of whisky, malts like this were exceptional and survivor bias plays a big role in all the older malts I try, but this was fantastic.