Dallas Dhu 32-year-old (D.1970, B.2002) The Cooper's Choice / 46%/ 0.7l

The Cooper's Choice is a range of single malt and single grain whiskies from the portfolio of The Vintage Malt Whisky Company, founded in 1992 by Brian Crook.

The Cooper's Choice debuted a year later and pays tribute to the coopers, whose role in Scotch whisky is often underestimated. The Dallas Dhu featured here is a 2002 cooper's choice – a whisky distilled in 1970, aged in oak casks for over three decades and bottled at 46% abv without chill filtration. Built between 1898 and 1899, the Dallas Dhu distillery distilled for the last time in March 1983. Its modest capacity (750,000 litres of alcohol per year) and limited access to water made it an ideal candidate for closure during the Scotch whisky crisis of the early 1980s.

Nose : elegant, honey, toffee, dried figs and dates, orange jam, vanilla, cigar box, beeswax, potpourri, a touch of cinnamon and a trace of smoke in the background.

Palate : raisins and sultanas, toffee, honey, milk chocolate, blood oranges, dried plums, cherries, candied ginger, black tea and a fleeting hint of smoke.

Finish : quite long, slightly smoky, with notes of dried fruit, honey, toffee, oak tannins, a bit of ginger and hay.