So increasingly creative, experimental and diverse is the modern world of whisky, that it is often difficult to imagine being genuinely surprised by the latest industry news story. Surprised is exactly how I, and presumably many others felt, however, at the revelation of plans to re-open Dallas Dhu distillery in Speyside. Despite the revival of at least one once-closed distillery in Scotland every year now since 2021, Dallas Dhu feels very different.
While the resurrections of Brora and Port Ellen felt momentous, there was also a sense of inevitability if you sat back and thought about it. Both distilleries had developed stellar reputations in their posthumous years, backed by the creation and marketing of their brands by Diageo as they sold off the vast remaining stocks. Dallas Dhu, on the other hand, was never sold as a single malt during or after its lifetime by its former owner, The Distillers Company (later United Distillers, the precursor to Diageo) and its presence is generally limited to independent bottlings, with increasing infrequency. In fact, its public profile is not altogether unlike that of the nearby Coleburn Distillery, a site from which Dallas Dhu’s new proprietors, blender and bottler Aceo, already operate. So why not Coleburn instead?
Much of the answer to that can be found in the amazing work done by Historic Environment Scotland (HES), which acquired the distillery in 1986 and turned it into a museum of whisky and distilling. The grand purpose of any museum is to preserve the cultural heritage of its designated subject, and in the case of a distillery that is no better realised than in an eventual return to operational glory. While many of those distilleries shuttered in the 1980s were later demolished or – like Coleburn – repurposed, HES protected not only Dallas Dhu’s place within the Speyside whisky landscape but in the minds of those fortunate enough live in or visit the region.
Not only this, but the organisation also released the first and only officially branded Dallas Dhu single malts to date. Just as visitors to a museum breathe new life into history, so too do official bottlings of lost single malts. Released only sporadically between 1999 and 2007, these rare bottlings gave the distillery a market profile that set it apart from its many contemporaries that also succumbed to the mass closures of the 1980s. These bottlings were undoubtedly as important as the protection of the distillery itself to the decision to revive it. We are delighted, therefore, to be offering one of these bottlings in our July 2024 sale at Whisky Auctioneer. Released by HES (then known as Historic Scotland) in 2002, it celebrated the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II and at just 347 bottles it is among the rarest.
The bottle is joined by a handful of others, including one of just four official Rare Malts Selection bottlings from United Distillers, and esteemed independent releases from the likes of Signatory Vintage, Blackadder and the legendary Italian importer, Intertrade. Just like those released by Historic Scotland, these may one day come to be viewed as critical chapters in the newly unfolding history of Dallas Dhu, and now is the time to explore them.
