Dallas Dhu 1979 Murray McDavid

Review by: Raygun

Another closed distillery up. Dallas Dhu shut down in 1983 and  now houses a distilling museum. This is also noteworthy for being a Murray McDavid release which doesn’t have a bizarre finish. I guess the pioneers of ACE’ing at one time played things straight. Reviewed from a sample. Rested about 10 minutes.

Distillery: Dallas Dhu

Bottler: Murray McDavid

Region/style: Speyside single malt Scotch

ABV: 46%

Age: 23 years. Distilled in 1979. Bottled in 2002. 

Cask type: First fill American oak.

Color: 0.8 deep gold. Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.

Nose: Fruit for days, mainly apples and pears. Some pastry as well. It’s got a musty sort of barnyard aroma to it. With more time, I noticed honeycomb and beeswax. 

Palate: So much apple, like a slice of apple pie chased with apple cider. Caramel and lemon zest. A faint touch of smoke, which I hadn’t noticed on the nose. Good level of oak; definitely there, but not taking over. Really nice texture for 46%. 

Finish: Tons of apples still. Caramel is stronger. Some waxiness, which with the smoke comes across as snuffed candle. Orange marmalade.

Conclusion: I can’t say how representative of Dallas Dhu this is. I can say it kicks the tail of most modern Speysides. Got the apples of something like Glenlivet or Aultmore, but so much more. Not thin at all at 46%. I haven’t had enough 70s or early 80s stuff to say if they’re necessarily that much better than modern malts, but I’m starting to see why a lot of people think so. 

Buy a bottle? I couldn’t really, could I?

Final Score: 86

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky. (Convalmore 36)
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1)
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Ledaig 13 Amontillado)
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Tomatin 18)
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Glen Scotia 15)
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Aultmore 12)
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Glenmorangie 10)
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Pulteney 12)
  • 0-49: Blech. (Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16)

Published by Raygun

I drank Scotch occasionally (mostly at family gatherings) for years, but started getting more interested after an introduction and tasting from a Scottish acquaintance. That led to buying my first bottle (Highland Park 12). Now 600+ spirits later, Scotch is still my first love, but I drink other whisky and dabble in brandy as well.

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