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

It's strange to think that in 1964, my father was still training to become a Catholic priest (spoiler alert: he quit before ordination), and my mother was still in school. I wasn't even a thought at that time. This dram was distilled that year and put away, resurfacing in 2016 in the possession of D. L., who bottled it. I have no idea if anyone back then anticipated it would be in a barrel for over fifty years, which fundamentally impacts decisions about barrel type and aging strategy. A single refill hogshead was utilized. This grain distillery, constructed in Dunbartonshire in the 1930s, was the largest of its era and also housed the Inverleven and Lomond malt distilleries. Its whisky was primarily intended for the Ballantine's blend and was never bottled as a single grain. The distillery was home to the 'Scotch Watch,' a group of 100 Chinese white geese introduced by Hiram Walker in 1959 to guard Dumbarton's whisky stock from intruders. The birds became a minor tourist attraction and were even featured in advertisements for the Ballantine's blend. When Dumbarton finally closed in 2002, the geese remained, though ten years later, the remaining seven birds were retired and relocated to an existing flock in Glasgow Green. The dram is quite pleasant, considering it's a grain whisky. Butterscotch, shortbread. Lovely balance and texture. The finish is a bit short and slightly grainy, but again, even accounting for potential monitoring and tasting throughout its existence, given that they selected a barrel fifty-one years ago without knowing its future duration, it shows impressive judgment... or considerable good fortune. A nice way to reach the 700 mark.

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