Historic Distilleries: Dallas Dhu

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Once upon a time known as Dallasmore, Dallas Dhu was built under that name back in 1898, before changing to dallas Dhu one year later. It was sold one year after being built, in 1899. The first distillery on which a pagoda roof was raised. Some circumstances made it hard for Dallas Dhu to get a foothold in the whisky market. A high number of different owners through the years and a fire that burnt part of distillery down in 1939, right before WW2. So that fire perhaps didn't ruin as much as it could've. It started distilling again in 1947. In the 1950's electricity arrived at Dallas Dhu, the distillery was then modernized and they enjoyed some successful decades until its closure in 1983. In 1992 their distilling license was withdrawn. The distillery pretty much existed as a contributor to the blend Benmore in its late decades, but this blend is now only sold in very far away markets, and it was/is of rather poor quality, I've tried a miniature. The distillery is now kept in mint condition as a tourist attraction, or dead distillery exhibition if you like. It's not one of the distilleries we regret the most was closed down, but I believe it has its qualities. Lets try a bunch and see. Despite being in top condition there are little hope for any re-opening...



#1
Dallas Dhu 12yo 40% Gordon & Macphail

G&M bottled quite some DD's after its closure, and I'm afraid not many other IB's fancied any interest in this quiet Speysider. The color is golden. It smells of sweetness, honey, pistachio, roasted nuts, almonds, brittle. The taste is burnt, spirity, strong eucalyptus and licorice, peppery, rather weird one. There isn't much to say about this one I'm afraid, a very light and one-dimensional malt. There's a nice and sweet honey and biscuity finish, but not enough to rescue this whisky from being in the lower leagues.

Possibly a mixture of some 12yo and inferior older casks that's all been vatted and diluted: 3


Dallas Dhu 31yo 1980-2011 46% The Ultimate, Van Wees cask#2110

A very old one, why did they bottle it at 46%abv, could it be a CS at 46%abv? The color is golden. It smells of milk chocolate, buttery, caramel, honey, very light and simple, but without off-notes, its just that its just like any other blend on the nose. Perhaps the palate will show its a malt with more charisma. The taste is sweet, peppery, chalky, vanilla, seems like some pretty standard, yet flawless bourbon-casked speysider. I mean, the major difference between this and the 12yo is that this one have no flaws.

Inferior quality may be the only good reason for a 31yo to be diluted?: 3.5


Dallas Dhu NAS 1982 40% Gordon & Macphail

Another DD from G&M, this time its all from the same vintage, lets hope 1982 was a good year at Dallas Dhu. The color is golden. It smells of honey, wheat, cloves, grainy, very restrained. The taste is of wheat, citrus, white onions, raw garlic, bitter white wine, salmi, red ale. With added water it shows some hummus and more garlic, but its no complex malt. No finish at all.

These Dallas Dhues could go for Vodkas if it wasn't for the color: 3.5


Dallas Dhu NAS 1979 40% Gordon & Macphail

Three years younger Dallas Dhu, let's hope for a more expressive version than the prior three. The color is pale golden. It smells sweet honey, peppery, grassy, hay, wheat. Not much more expressive, but a bit of white rum and peach tea makes it just a bit more interesting so far. The taste is sweet, vanilla, pecans, chives, grassy, sour mango, kiwi, exotic sweet fruits, a pleasant summers dram, one to enjoy in with good company and perhaps some shellfish and white wine.

Lovely light Speysider: 7


Dallas Dhu 31yo 1968-2000 50% Old Malt Cask Douglas Laing

An oldie from a sherry cask. I don't think there are many such old vintages of Dallas Dhu still available, if you see one, please grab it, it might be your last chance. The color is amber brown. It smells of leather, licorice, ashes, phenols, cinnamon, grapefruit, cigars. The taste is all on cinnamon, stewed onions, butter, soy sauce, honey, a very decent sherried expression. The finish is long, salty and peppery, wit some sherry notes and gasoline. I'll add a drop of water though its not necessary with such a good whisky. With added water it turns more bitter, grassier, rubbery.

Take this neat, give it time, and you'll find its a very good wherried whisky: 8


Dallas Dhu 27yo 1981-2008 57.3% Part des Anges Closed Distilleries cask#366

From a bourbon cask, I'm thinking about making a baby crib of a 25l bourbon cask I've got at home. What? Where did that come from? Oh yeah, one thing that happens when your girlfriend or wife is pregnant, there will be a lot of baby talk, and after a while it becomes infectious... enough now... The color is golden. It smells of hay, wheat, vanilla, spirity notes, glue, detergent. Some off-notes in this one. The taste is very peppery, oaky, concentrated oak and vanilla flavors, intensely sweet. Time for some water even though its a good whisky neat too. I just believe there's likely to be hidden some great flavors behind that extreme sweetness. Now it turns more heathery, vanilla, clay, earthy, maize, grainy, pretty good one. The finish is peppery short, some pistachio and bitter leaves.

Intense Dallas Dhu, with all happening on the palate: 5.5


Dallas Dhu 27yo 1980-2007 57.6% Part des Anges Closed Distilleries cask#2107

Age and strength in the two PDA's are pretty similar, and just one vintage apart. Will the whisky be as similar? The color on this one is hazy golden. It smells sweet vanilla, flour sugar, wheat, syrup, spearmint, really light, like a bourbon-matured 40-46%. The taste is vanilla, peppery, burnt, heather, minty, burnt, oaky, sour milk, Not nearly as interesting as the 1981, there are much cheaper alternatives thats similar to this out there. The finish is peppery, lime, ginger and crayons.

I believe the price for the #366 and #2107 is pretty much the same, please buy the #366: 3


Dallas Dhu 31yo 1979-2010 58.5% Signatory Vintage cask#1385 btl.34/505

I had a full bottle of this, and back then filled a miniature for time like this. But it had little information of which cask was used, but seems to be a big one, 505 bottles. The color is golden. A refill butt it was! It smells malty and peppery, hay, vegetal, red onions, grassy, pickled cucumbers, vinegar, garlic, chives, burnt oak. The taste is peppery, licorice, honey, salmi, fruitgum, honey melon, heather, a sweet treat. With water it turns Once again I find another Dallas Dhu a bit too light and easy, perhaps its the character of Dallas Dhu that don't suit my palate that much. The finish is cinnamon, heather, honey, buttery, syrup, burnt sugar, minty.

A speysider with a certain highlander within: 6.5



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Dallas Dhu 16yo 43% Master of Malt

One of those miniatures with little information, another DD that I'm entering blindfolded, which could in many ways be positive. The color is white wine. It smells of hay and butter, citrus, lime, pineapple and grapefruit. A bit like a cheap fruity vodka, Smirnoff lemon or something? The taste is sweet, vanilla, grape fruit, pistachio, melon, yoghurt. Another light and pretty boring Dallas Dhu, but to be fair, there aren't many off-notes in this more. I'd have a hard time recognizing this one from an average+ blend, say Justerini & Brooks.

Mediocre experience: 3 (to get beneath 3 in my book there must be some obvious flaws)


Dallas Dhu 18yo 43% Master of Malt cask#2592

2 years older and from a single cask, a bourbon hogshead, so I guess I might meet a bit more oak character when approaching this one. Let's hope so. The color is white wine. It smells of wheat, wet hay, wool, rubber, sauna steam. Another one that's very light and quite like any cheap blend. The taste is sweet vanilla, peppery, heather, grassy, buttery, wheat, a really decent comeback from the rather tamed nose. I'd say this is well above blend territory, but far from a class malt. The finish is wheaty and peppery.

Pleasant enough, easy-drinking aperitif malt: 5


Dallas Dhu 19yo 43% Master of Malt

Seems Master of Malt bottled quite a few DD's bak in the days, great initiative, but I wish they did a couple more at CS. The color is golden. it smells of vanilla, oaky, cinnamon, honey, butter, syrup, another one thats just how I've now learned to predict a teenage 43%abv. Dallas Dhu to be. The taste is oranges, vanilla, nettles, ginger, dry herbs, banana leaves, peppery, raw onions, a bit more bite in this one than the prior two, but I still believe it needs some water to open up. Now it turns sweeter, vanilla, marshmallows, paint, aniseed, potato starch, parsnips, carrots, some sweet roots that makes it stand a bit apart in this sitting, for the better. The finish is sweet and peppery, lasts for about 5 seconds.

Some glimmers of excellence on the palate, otherwise dull: 5


Dallas Dhu 17yo 1974-1992 43% Signatory Vintage cask#1496 btl.658/2400

One of these old miniatures from Signatory with a great look, much better than the modern ones in my opinion, the batch and feather, black on white, its just clean and classic. The color is golden amber. It smells of dry red wine, tannins, sugar, caramel, drying, latex, shortbread. The taste is sweet, sulphury, rubbery, sugar, dried bananas, cardamum, peppery, drying, bitter notes, it becomes rather unpleasant after a short while in the glass. Time to add some water. Now it turns sweeter with some honey, kiwi and mango. A great alternative it you're looking for an affordable DD, well not today I assume. Anyway, this is maybe as good as it gets when we're talking young dilutes Dallas Dhus.

Rich, phenolic and flinty, minerals: 7


Dallas Dhu 21yo 50% Old Malt Cask Douglas Laing

Douglas Laing have long stopped doing miniatures, but instead you can buy these new 20cl "Advance Samples" which gives more the impression of an exclusivity. The color on this one is pale amber. It smells of honey, leather, oak, wheat, glue, mustard. The taste is meaty, syrupy, beef broth, egg cream, malt syrup, bean sprouts, bourbon notes, camomile, a nice surprise, but as was most old OMC's. The finish is heather, red berries, cherry wine, flinty, I'd say this must be from some sherry wood. Not very complex or thrilling in any way, but a nice and clean sherried whisky.

Nice intro to Dallas Dhu, balanced: 7


Dallas Dhu 19yo 1978-1997 59.6% Signatory Vintage for 2nd Internationale Whiskymesse 1997 btl.90/240

I'm not sure the annual Internationale Whiskymesse are still being held till this date. In case you wanna check it out it was held in Rheingau in mid october. The color is golden. It smells of phenol, brunt rubber, petrol, gasoline, soapy, malty. The taste is peppery, bittersweet, wheat crackers, ginger, licorice, hay, floral. I'll add some water. Now it turns more bitter, salmi, burnt oak, raw ginger. The finish is wheaty, hay, dry, roast beef, dry chicken meat.

Overall, one of the best Dallas Dhus I've tasted: 7


Dallas Dhu 18yo 1974-1993 60.8% Signatory Vintage cask#1498 btl.52/1800

Seems they had some tight casks at Dallas Dhu. Butts? European Oak? The label states nothing more than that its an oak cask, which usually hints to it not being a sherry cask, but not always. The color is golden. It smells of wheat, butter, mushrooms, grassy, lemon peel. The taste is very raw, earthy, raw onions, cloves, poppy seeds, pumpkin seeds, sour notes, grapefruit, lemon. Time to add some water. Now it turns even more bitter and raw, bad oak? It does taste mostly like poorly made vinegar if you ask me. The finish is peppery and short.

Signatory and Dallas Dhu seems to be an varying combination: 2.5

I'm afraid I only found recent photos of Dallas Dhu, so there will be no other. When this photo was taken back in 2006 it had long since shut down production and started as a whisky/distillation gallery of some sort.








Next tasting: Coleburn Distillery