The Perfect Collection Part Two

Dallas Dhu 10 Year Old Gordon and MacPhail 75cl / US Import

In its time a key component of the Roderick Dhu blended Scotch, Dallas Dhu is a rarely seen single malt. As with much of the DCL (now Diageo) portfolio, the distillery was deemed surplus to requirements during the market downturn of the 1980s, and closed in 1983. It is now run as a distillery museum by Historic Environment Scotland. Very few official bottlings exist, and it is incredibly sought after when rare independent bottlings appear. 

This is a 10 year old from Gordon & MacPhail.

Although many distilleries like this did not have the capacity to produce their own official bottlings in the 1970s and 1980s, many licensed their brands to Gordon & MacPhail, who produced official bottlings in their name using exclusive label designs. This is part of the company's modern day Distillery Labels series, which replicates these old liveries.

Dufftown 13 Year Old James MacArthur Cask Strength 75cl / US Import

Dufftown was built in 1896, becoming part of the Arthur Bell & Sons portfolio in 1933. As with Blair Athol, Dufftown was regularly bottled as a single malt, despite its importance to the Bell's blends. When the company was bought by Guinness in 1985 (becoming Diageo two years later), these bottlings stopped, but a Dufftown distillery bottling returned in the 1990s as part of the Flora & Fauna series, later becoming part of The Singleton stable. Prior to the construction of Roseisle, Dufftown was Diageo's largest distillery.

James MacArthur & Co were founded in 1982 and are a no-frills independent label, focussed bringing lesser-seen and often closed distilleries to the market. Their simple approach and fine selection of cask strength and single cask whiskies has earned them an army of fans amongst connoisseurs across the world.

Dufftown 1982 Glenhaven 11 Year Old 75cl / US Import

Dufftown was built in 1896, becoming part of the Arthur Bell & Sons portfolio in 1933. As with Blair Athol, Dufftown was regularly bottled as a single malt, despite its importance to the Bell's blends. When the company was bought by Guinness in 1985 (becoming Diageo two years later), these bottlings stopped, but a Dufftown distillery bottling returned in the 1990s as part of the Flora & Fauna series, later becoming part of The Singleton stable. Prior to the construction of Roseisle, Dufftown was Diageo's largest distillery.

This is a particularly rare bottling, produced by the Glenhaven Scotch Whisky Co. for the US market.

Glenhaven was a short-lived independent bottler, mostly exporting their releases to America. Their bottlings appeared between 1994 and 1997, when their founder Bill Thompson sadly passed away, halting operations at the firm.

Dalwhinnie 15 Year Old Cask Strength Centenary Edition

Dalwhinnie was one of the six original Classic Malts when they were selected by United Distillers (now Diageo) back in 1988, and it was tipped to become the favourite among consumers on account of its flawless floral flavours and elegant character. Although eventually pipped at the post by the smoky dark horse that was the Lagavulin 16 year old, it remains a well-loved single malt. The distillery is both the highest and coldest in Scotland, contributing to its unique flavour through the rapid condensing that occurs in its worm tubs.

This is a commemorative release of Dalwhinnie 15 year old, bottled at cask strength in 1998 to mark the centenary of the distillery.

Dalmore 12 Year Old 75cl pre-2007 / US Import 

Dalmore is undoubtedly the prize single malt in the Whyte & Mackay portfolio. This was not always the case though. The blenders purchased it from the Mackenzie family in 1960, having been long-standing customers. Due to the long-running importance of it to their blends, their distillery bottlings of its single malt were limited to a 12 year old expression. Nowadays however, it is positioned as a luxury brand, rubbing shoulder with the likes of Macallan, and is globally recognised.

The long-serving Dalmore 12 year old was the sole constituent of the distillery's core range until 2002 when when the Cigar Malt and 21 year old were added.

This version of the expression pre-dates the rebranding of the distillery's core range in 2007 after United Spirits acquired Whyte & Mackay.

Dailuaine 16 Year Old Flora and Fauna 

Following on from the successful introduction of the Classic Malts range in 1988 (at the time only six expressions), Diageo sought to build on this by releasing a further 22 single malts in 1991. These became affectionately known as the Flora & Fauna series, a term coined by whisky writer, Michael Jackson, in reference to their labels, and the range showcased the lesser-seen distilleries from the extensive Diageo portfolio at the time. Despite four further additions in 2001, only a handful of these are still permanent distillery bottlings, making this a highly collectible series.

Dailuaine was at a time, in the 19th century, Speyside's largest distillery, and it was home to Scotland's first pagoda roofed kiln. That distillery perished in a fire however, in 1917. The newly rebuilt distillery was acquired by DCL (now Diageo) who used its \"meaty\" spirit as a filler for one of their many blends. As with many Diageo of the single malt operations in the Diageo portfolio, the Flora & Fauna release was Dailuaine's first ever distillery bottling. Despite being a fan favourite, this is still the only permanent official bottling available from the distillery.

Dewar's Ancestor 1970s

An old 1970s bottling of Ancestor, the premium blend from John Dewar & Sons. 

John Dewar & Sons were granted their first Royal Warrant by Queen Victoria in 1893, and it has been renewed by every monarch since then. The company opened the Aberfeldy distillery in 1898, and it remains the core constituent of its blends. The famous white label Scotch was debuted the following year. The company merged with James Buchanan & Co to form Dewar-Buchanan in 1915, before becoming part of DCL ten years later. It remained part of that empire until the formation of its modern iteration, Diageo, in 1997. The merger of United Distillers and Grand Metropolitan had brought too much of the industry under a sole parent organisation, and to satisfy anti-monopoly rulings, the Dewar's brands and distilleries were sold to Bacardi in 1998, who have breathed a new lease of life into many of them since.

Dalmore 1989 Douglas Laing 10 Year Old Sherry Cask

Douglas Laing & Co was established in 1948 by Fred Douglas Laing, affectionately known as “FDL.” The company started out as a blending business, but over time their focus shifted towards independently bottlings single malts. Fred died in 1982, leaving the business to his two sons, Stewart and Fred Jr, who eventually carved it up in 2013, with Stewart leaving to establish Hunter Laing. Fred Jr and his daughter Cara now run Douglas Laing, which continues to bottle single malt and has also revived its blending business. Additionally, the company has recently moved into distilling as well, announcing plans to construct the new Clutha distillery in Glasgow, and taking over Strathearn in Perthshire in 2019.

The Old Malt Cask series is one of the most established independent labels on the market. It was launched by Douglas Laing in 1998 and bottled by them until 2013 when the brand became part of the Hunter Laing portfolio instead.

This is a 1989 vintage Dalmore, bottled from a sherry cask in February 2000.

Dalmore is undoubtedly the prize single malt in the Whyte & Mackay portfolio. This was not always the case though. The blenders purchased it from the Mackenzie family in 1960, having been long-standing customers. Due to the long-running importance of it to their blends, their distillery bottlings of its single malt were limited to a 12 year old expression. Nowadays however, it is positioned as a luxury brand, rubbing shoulder with the likes of Macallan, and is globally recognised. Independent releases like this are hard to come by.

Deanston 8 Year Old 1980s​

An old 1980s bottle of Deanston 8 Year Old from the pre-Burn Stewart ownership of the distillery. Hard to come by!

Deanston distillery opened in 1965, and its first single malt was called in Old Bannockburn, first bottled in 1971. Invergordon Distillers procured the distillery two years later, and introduced the first Deanston-named single malt in 1974. Sadly, a lack of interest in it saw the distillery mothballed in 1982, and it was not until 1990 when it was procured by Burn Stewart that it was revived and began to flourish. Now part of the Distell group, Deanston has become a global single malt brand. 

Dailuaine 1962 Signatory Vintage 36 Year Old Miniature / 10th Anniversary

Signatory Vintage were established in 1988 by Andrew Symington and are one of Scotland's most prolific independent bottlers. Their offices and bottling facility are located next to Edradour distillery, which they have also owned since 2002.

This 1962 vintage Dailuaine was bottled to commemorate the company's 10th anniversary in 1998.

Dailuaine was at a time in the 19th century, Speyside's largest distillery, and it was home to Scotland's first pagoda roofed kiln. That distillery perished in a fire however, in 1917. The newly rebuilt distillery was acquired by DCL (now Diageo) who used its \"meaty\" spirit as a filler for their many blends. As with most of the single malt operations in the Diageo portfolio, the Flora & Fauna release was Dailuaine's first ever distillery bottling. Its single malt had been available in the form of independent releases like this in the preceding years though. 

Dailuaine 1989 Cadenhead's 9 Year Old 75cl / US Import

The Authentic Collection was launched by Wm. Cadenhead in 1991, and included whiskies from several rare closed Scottish and Irish distilleries, bottled for the company's 150th anniversary. It would later go on to become a mainstay of their portfolio, as the cask strength alternative to the Original Collection, which replaced their famous \"dumpy\" bottlings in the early 1990s. The Authentic Collection is now the flagship Cadenhead brand, and one of the most recognisable independent labels on the market.

This is a 1989 vintage Dailuaine, bottled for the US market in June 1999.

Dailuaine was at a time in the 19th century, Speyside's largest distillery, and it was home to Scotland's first pagoda roofed kiln. That distillery perished in a fire however, in 1917. The newly rebuilt distillery was acquired by DCL (now Diageo) who used its \"meaty\" spirit as a filler for their many blends. As with most of the single malt operations in the Diageo portfolio, the Flora & Fauna release was Dailuaine's first ever distillery bottling. Its single malt had been available in the form of independent releases like this in the preceding years though.

Dewar's Ancestor 1970s

An old 1970s bottling of Ancestor, the premium blend from John Dewar & Sons. 

John Dewar & Sons were granted their first Royal Warrant by Queen Victoria in 1893, and it has been renewed by every monarch since then. The company opened the Aberfeldy distillery in 1898, and it remains the core constituent of its blends. The famous white label Scotch was debuted the following year. The company merged with James Buchanan & Co to form Dewar-Buchanan in 1915, before becoming part of DCL ten years later. It remained part of that empire until the formation of its modern iteration, Diageo, in 1997. The merger of United Distillers and Grand Metropolitan had brought too much of the industry under a sole parent organisation, and to satisfy anti-monopoly rulings, the Dewar's brands and distilleries were sold to Bacardi in 1998, who have breathed a new lease of life into many of them since.

Deanston 12 Year Old 1990s

Deanston distillery opened in 1965, and its first single malt was called Old Bannockburn, first bottled in 1971. Invergordon Distillers procured the distillery two years later, and introduced the first Deanston-named single malt in 1974. Sadly, a lack of interest in it saw the distillery mothballed in 1982, and it was not until 1990 when it was bought by Burn Stewart that it was revived and began to flourish. Now part of the Distell group, Deanston has become a global single malt brand.

This version of the 12 year old is the earliest Burn Stewart-era core range bottling, produced in the 1990s.

Dalwhinnie 15 Year Old 1 Litre 1990s

Dalwhinnie was one of the six original Classic Malts when they were selected by United Distillers (now Diageo) back in 1988, and it was tipped to become the favourite among consumers on account of its flawless floral flavours and elegant character. Although eventually pipped at the post by the smoky dark horse that was the Lagavulin 16 year old, it remains a well-loved single malt. The distillery is both the highest and coldest in Scotland, contributing to its unique flavour through the rapid condensing that occurs in its worm tubs.

This is a 1990s release of the Classic Malts 15 year old. When United Distillers succeeded DCL, one of their first orders of business was to reclaim control of the distribution of their single malts. In the DCL days, the distilleries had been licensed to the blending companies in their portfolio, Dalwhinnie for example to James Buchanan, and Talisker to John Walker & Sons. The process of cancelling these contracts was quicker for some distilleries than others, so some of the early Classic Malts still bear the names of these former licensees, most notably White Horse Distillers on the Lagavulin 16 year old, but also as shown here.

Dufftown 10 Year Old 1980s

Dufftown was built in 1896, becoming part of the Arthur Bell & Sons portfolio in 1933. As with Blair Athol, Dufftown was regularly bottled as a single malt, despite its importance to the Bell's blends. When the company was bought by Guinness in 1985 (becoming Diageo two years later), these bottlings stopped, but a Dufftown distillery bottling returned in the 1990s as part of the Flora & Fauna series, later becoming part of The Singleton stable. Prior to the construction of Roseisle, Dufftown was Diageo's largest distillery. 

This is an 8 year old from the end of the Arthur Bell & Sons era.

Dalwhinnie 15 Year Old 75cl 1990s / US Import

Dalwhinnie was one of the six original Classic Malts when they were selected by United Distillers (now Diageo) back in 1988, and it was tipped to become the favourite among consumers on account of its flawless floral flavours and elegant character. Although eventually pipped at the post by the smoky dark horse that was the Lagavulin 16 year old, it remains a well-loved single malt. The distillery is both the highest and coldest in Scotland, contributing to its unique flavour through the rapid condensing that occurs in its worm tubs.

This is a 1990s release of the Classic Malts 15 year old. When United Distillers succeeded DCL, one of their first orders of business was to reclaim control of the distribution of their single malts. In the DCL days, the distilleries had been licensed to the blending companies in their portfolio, Dalwhinnie for example to James Buchanan, and Talisker to John Walker & Sons. The process of cancelling these contracts was quicker for some distilleries than others, so some of the early Classic Malts still bear the names of these former licensees, most notably White Horse Distillers on the Lagavulin 16 year old, but also as shown here.

Dalwhinnie 15 Year Old 75cl 1990s / US Import

Dalwhinnie was one of the six original Classic Malts when they were selected by United Distillers (now Diageo) back in 1988, and it was tipped to become the favourite among consumers on account of its flawless floral flavours and elegant character. Although eventually pipped at the post by the smoky dark horse that was the Lagavulin 16 year old, it remains a well-loved single malt. The distillery is both the highest and coldest in Scotland, contributing to its unique flavour through the rapid condensing that occurs in its worm tubs.

This is a 1990s release of the Classic Malts 15 year old. When United Distillers succeeded DCL, one of their first orders of business was to reclaim control of the distribution of their single malts. In the DCL days, the distilleries had been licensed to the blending companies in their portfolio, Dalwhinnie for example to James Buchanan, and Talisker to John Walker & Sons. The process of cancelling these contracts was quicker for some distilleries than others, so some of the early Classic Malts still bear the names of these former licensees, most notably White Horse Distillers on the Lagavulin 16 year old, but also as shown here.

Dalwhinnie 15 Year Old 75cl 1990s / US Import

Dalwhinnie was one of the six original Classic Malts when they were selected by United Distillers (now Diageo) back in 1988, and it was tipped to become the favourite among consumers on account of its flawless floral flavours and elegant character. Although eventually pipped at the post by the smoky dark horse that was the Lagavulin 16 year old, it remains a well-loved single malt. The distillery is both the highest and coldest in Scotland, contributing to its unique flavour through the rapid condensing that occurs in its worm tubs.

This is a 1990s release of the Classic Malts 15 year old. When United Distillers succeeded DCL, one of their first orders of business was to reclaim control of the distribution of their single malts. In the DCL days, the distilleries had been licensed to the blending companies in their portfolio, Dalwhinnie for example to James Buchanan, and Talisker to John Walker & Sons. The process of cancelling these contracts was quicker for some distilleries than others, so some of the early Classic Malts still bear the names of these former licensees, most notably White Horse Distillers on the Lagavulin 16 year old, but also as shown here.

Dalwhinnie 15 Year Old 75cl 1990s / US Import

Dalwhinnie was one of the six original Classic Malts when they were selected by United Distillers (now Diageo) back in 1988, and it was tipped to become the favourite among consumers on account of its flawless floral flavours and elegant character. Although eventually pipped at the post by the smoky dark horse that was the Lagavulin 16 year old, it remains a well-loved single malt. The distillery is both the highest and coldest in Scotland, contributing to its unique flavour through the rapid condensing that occurs in its worm tubs.

This is a 1990s release of the Classic Malts 15 year old. When United Distillers succeeded DCL, one of their first orders of business was to reclaim control of the distribution of their single malts. In the DCL days, the distilleries had been licensed to the blending companies in their portfolio, Dalwhinnie for example to James Buchanan, and Talisker to John Walker & Sons. The process of cancelling these contracts was quicker for some distilleries than others, so some of the early Classic Malts still bear the names of these former licensees, most notably White Horse Distillers on the Lagavulin 16 year old, but also as shown here.

Deerstalker 12 Year Old Highland Single Malt 75cl / US Import

This 12 year old \"Deerstalker\" single malt, a brand devised by Aberfoyle & Knight to bottle and showcase lesser-known distilleries. On occasion the source of the whisky has been disclosed on the bottle, but this is not the case here.

Deerstalker 12 Year Old Highland Single Malt 75cl / US Import

This 12 year old \"Deerstalker\" single malt, a brand devised by Aberfoyle & Knight to bottle and showcase lesser-known distilleries. On occasion the source of the whisky has been disclosed on the bottle, but this is not the case here.

Drumguish Single Malt 75cl / US Import

Speyside distillery was the second of those built by George Christie, his first being the North of Scotland grain plant in 1957. His malt distillery did not until 30 years later however, and began production in 1990. In its short history it has appeared in several guises, including Drumguish, Spey, Cu Dhub, Glentromie and Black Burn.

Drumguish was Speyside distillery's first single malt brand, launched in 1993. It was named after the surrounding area and lost 19th century distillery of the same name. The brand was short-lived however, and was discontinued in 1999.