Monday 26 March 2012

Whisky Discovery #47

Port Dundas 20 Year Old (57.4% abv Distilled 1990)
Single Grain Whisky
Circa £150 70cl

Port Dundas Single Grain
For my third dram of Whisky Live I went for something a little different. I have never had a Single Grain Whisky and I hadn't heard of Port Dundas.

A limited edition, natural cask strength Single Grain Scotch Whisky, From Port Dundas, a historic and now closed grain distillery in Glasgow.

Very rare as a single grain bottling at any age and a first ever 100% grain release in the Classic Malts special releases as well as the first ever official bottling at this age. Liquid from three different casks - distilled in 1990, aged three years in refill, then in equal parts aged for 17 more years in Ex-sherry, new European Oak Charred and first fill ex-Bourbon American Oak. Incredibly rare and unrepeatable; very collectable with just 1,920 individually numbered bottles worldwide my dram came from bottle number 1383

From the bottler:

Description: Rich, dense and seemingly impenetrable: an unusual and hugely challenging whisky whose very elegant complexities are only fully revealed by adding water. Like a fine, aged rum dancing with an elegant, oily Riesling.

Appearance: Deep polished chestnut. Fine beading

Nose: Mild, drying nose-feel.Vinous, with traces of cherry (kirsch-filled dark chocolates), well-worn leather and pencil shavings. Opens slowly, revealing woody, spicy aromas (black tea, molasses, dates and linseed oil) then delicate sweet notes of ripe banana, chocolate and vanilla cream. Finally turns fresh, resinous, herbal. Beautifully coherent with water, which lifts the wood-notes (fresh-cut sappy pine), until it becomes the inside of an old school desk (and all its contents) fusing with vanilla ice cream.

Body: Dense, liqueur-like

Palate: Initially languorous; varnish, linseed oil. A smooth, rich texture and a sweet taste, growing into a compelling, layered, waxy, nuttiness (brazils, walnuts). Poppy-seed? Silky smooth with water and altogether more rounded; the texture smooth, the taste sweet. The wood cuts through; sandalwood (pencil box), white pepper and hints of vanilla.

Finish: Glorious, lingering and complex. Simultaneously drying yet coating, with notes of liquorice, aniseed and burnt sugar and oak-wood in the aftertaste. With water: beautifully smooth, long and rounded, with velvety tannins.

So what did I think?
I wrote down rich, dark sweet rum, toffee caramel, sherry and spices. I'm glad I tried this and being so very special I'm tempted to put a bottle of this on the shelf.

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