Dumbarton 1964 51 Year Cask #11181 XOP (Douglas Laing)

Odd to think in 1964 my dad was still training to be a catholic priest (spoiler alert he quit before he was ordained) and my mum was still at school. I wasn't even a twinkle in either of their eyes. It was that year this dram was distilled and laid to rest surfacing again in 2016 in the hands of D L who bottled it. I have no idea if anyone back then even knew it would be in a barrel for over half a century, which when you think about it is pretty fundamental to knowing what type of barrel and aging policy you will apply. A single refill hogshead was used. This grain distillery complex built in Dunbartonshire in the 1930s was the biggest of its time, and also housed the Inverleven and Lomond malt distilleries. Its whisky was mostly reserved for the Ballantine’s blend, and was never bottled as a single grain. The distillery was the home of the ‘Scotch Watch’, a 100-strong gaggle of Chinese white geese introduced by Hiram Walker in 1959 to protect Dumbarton’s whisky stocks from intruders. The birds became something of a tourist attraction and were even used to advertise the Ballantine’s blend. When Dumbarton finally closed in 2002, the geese stayed put, though 10 years later the remaining seven birds were finally retired and sent to live with an existing flock at Glasgow Green. The dram is a very nice one considering it's grain. Butterscotch, shortbread. Lovely balance and viscosity. Finish is a bit short and slightly grainish but again, even taking into account the potential monitoring and tasting process throughout it's lifetime, given 51 years ago they picked a barrel not knowing how long it would be laid down for it's impressive judgement..or very good luck. Nice way to hit the 700 mark.

An unbelievable dram from a ghost Distillery! The cask was laid for 21 years and then finished in a dessert wine Moscatel cask. Imported to USA via reservebar.com Check it out the rare and unique scotch bottled at cask strength