Dallas Dhu
As part of our second Dunfermline event, attendees have the opportunity to experience a Dallas Dhu single cask release from the 1981 vintage, bottled at 27 years of age. To provide a little more context and appreciation, we have researched the history of the distillery.
Dallas Dhu is located a few miles outside Forres, Morayshire. This distillery is unique among closed and lost distilleries in that it remains intact. The equipment and instruments remain on site as a time capsule and the distillery has been donated to Historic Scotland for the nation and visitors to experience.
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Alexander Edward founded Dallas Dhu in 1898 during a whisky boom that was about to end, having previously completed the Aultmore distillery the previous year. Although he had ambitious plans to build two new distilleries, Benromach and Dallasmore, he was unable to realise either without outside help. Dallas Dhu, then known as Dallasmore, was sold to Wright & Grieg Limited, who brought the financial clout to complete the project. A Glasgow blending company based in Cadogan Street, they needed whisky for their popular Roderick Dhu blend - named after a character in Sir Walter Scott's novel The Lady of the Lake, and including Highland Park in its recipe. This was an incredibly popular blended whisky, internationally, with the main export markets being India and Australia.
The distillery site was located on Alexander’s own Sanquhar estate and adjacent to the Highland Railway line on its route to Grantown-on-Spey, Aviemore and onto Perth. The land itself was noted to be boggy, meaning that some of the buildings required extra investment to prevent them from sinking into the landscape. Despite the prominence and advantages a railway would offer, initially there was no siding constructed and casks were transported to the Forres station by horse and cart
Distillery workers 1899
Edward confidently commissioned Charles C. Doig of Elgin, widely regarded as the best distillery architect of the day, to design Dallasmore as it was then known. The distillery proudly displays classic Doig style and romantic Scottish design, making it one of the most modern of its time, completed towards the end of the whisky boom. As noted in Moss & Hume's book, The Making of Scotch Whisky, there was a degree of speculation among would-be distillery owners at the time. Several new would-be distillery owners across Scotland ran into financial difficulties after starting projects they couldn't afford, leading them to sell the unfinished distillery at a profit. However, this strategy proved unsuccessful as the market crashed, resulting in losses rather any profit.
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The distillery's name change to Dallas Dhu (pronounced Dallas-Doo) in November 1899, reflects its location, as Dalais Dubh means Black Water Valley in Gaelic. This change is appropriately linked to the blending form of much of the distillery's production. A rarer variation of the name is 'Dallas Mhor', also reflecting the valley location.
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Wright & Grieg faced financial difficulties and voluntarily liquidated in 1919 due to harsh economic conditions. J.P. O'Brien & Co. Ltd, the owners of Caol Ila, later purchased their assets. In 1921, Benmore Distillers Limited acquired Dallas Dhu's assets, including Roderick Dhu, and introduced electricity to the site. This allowed for the implementation of hoists, switchbacks, and conveyors. Benmore had previously the distillery of the same name and Lochead, both located in Campbeltown, in 1920, thus entering the distilling industry. They later added Lochindal on Islay in 1921, before falling on hard times.
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Benmore Distillers Limited thereafter was bought by Bulloch Lade & Company Limited. Bulloch itself was purchased in 1927 by the Distillers Company Limited (D.C.L.), a forerunner of Diageo, and handed over to its subsidiary, Scottish Malt Distillers (S.M.D.), putting an end to any future changes of ownership, thank goodness. The distillery closed shortly after this transfer due to the economic downturn. However, the period 1915-1930 only underlines how turbulent times were in the Scotch whisky industry.
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In 1923, the whisky of Dallas Dhu was reported in the James Eadie publication, as being mostly for blending historically, but during ‘the past few years, however, it has become well known amongst dealers – with the result that there is an ever-growing demand for Dallas Dhu, a spirit of distinctive and palatable flavour.’ The unknown author’s visit also highlighted the modern status of the distillery, with accommodation for 200 tons of coal, sheds for storing peat and casks and an onsite cooperage. Two large duty-free warehouses were also noted as well as 4 workmen’s cottages and houses for the Customs & Exciseman on site and the distillery manager. Production during the 1920s was noted to be just 60,000 gallons per season, or annually and the railway siding was in operation.
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Despite the economic challenges of the period, Dallas Dhu persevered and reopened in 1936 after several years of inactivity. Next came misfortune in the form of a fire on 9th April 1939, which caused significant damage to the distillery, particularly the still house. Reports highlighted the prompt attendance of the local fire brigade who managed to save the distillery from total destruction after being summoned by the Distillery Manager, thanks to his wife being woken by the noise and actions of Estate workers.
The Scotsman Newspaper reported the fire in 1939 as 'Much damage was caused by an outbreak of fire at Dallas Dhu Distillery, near Forres, Morayshire, on Saturday, when the still-house was completely destroyed. The fire was discovered by Mr Fred Wright, the manager, who heard a crackling noise. Forres Fire Brigade succeeded in controlling the flames, but it was found impossible to save the still-house. Two stills and other plant were destroyed, along with the building.
The origin of the outbreak is now known, but it is believed it may have been due to the fusing of an electric wire. The still fires had been drawn off previously. The damage has not yet been assessed.'
Dallas Dhu remained resilient and unable to distil, malted from the remainder of the 1939 season, to support other distilleries. Repairs were made promptly and although the onset of the Second World War forced the distillery to close as was common across the industry, it reopened with renewed vigour in 1947.
The 1950s heralded a series of investments in the distillery, with electricity becoming the sole power source and the water wheel being retired after 50 years of service. The distillery's worm tubs were replaced in 1956, followed by a series of improvements in the 1960s, these kicked off with mechanical stoking of the coal fired stills being implemented in 1963, before two new washbacks, a boiler and a mash tun arrived in 1964. These resulted in a 25% increase in production the following year. In 1966, a lift was installed in the malt house to facilitate the movement of malt, and towards the end of the decade, both stills were replaced. These new stills were 2295 gallons (spirit still) and 2603 gallons for the wash still, as far as we know the descending lyne arm angles for both, were not altered and continued to run into the worm tubs.
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On 30 March 1968, traditional floor malting ceased on site and the malt was thereafter supplied from the S.M.D. malting plant near Elgin. By 1971, the stills were no longer directly fired and were instead heated by steam. The rummager, which had been powered by overflow from the worm tubs, was retired at the same time.
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Historic Scotland records show that the first cask of Dallas Dhu was filled on 3 June 1899 and the last on 16 March 1983, marking the end of an era at the site that had endured much. The closure of the distillery was due to a documented decline in consumer demand and overproduction over several decades. This resulted in overstocked warehouses and shops nationally with little prospect of replenishment being required.
The Scourie Burn, which flows through the Altyre Estate, was the water source for the distillery. However, its variable availability over the years posed a challenge for the longevity of Dallas Dhu, which was not expanded significantly due to its water limitations.
Despite relying on only a pair of stills, Dallas Dhu's production was steady and reliable compared to other distilleries that grew and expanded. While it was capable of producing 750,000 proof gallons, towards the end of its life, the distillery produced around 300,000 proof gallons annually, despite economic conditions. Like many S.M.D. distilleries that had reduced their hours and paused production to cut costs, Dallas Dhu continued to operate with such limitations until its closure. The license to distil was removed in 1992.
Dallas Dhu has been preserved for all to see and experience. Unlike modern distilleries, the Dallas Dhu distillery required a crew of 15 or more local men to perform various manual tasks during production, showcasing the dedication and craftsmanship of the workers. The distillery features a cast iron mash tun with a copper dome and six 45kl larch washbacks that visitors can explore, highlighting the hands-on equipment used in the production process. The manual tools and chains used to create the distillate that eventually becomes the whisky in your glass are a constant throughout a tour.
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There may yet be life in the distillery, as since 2014, and fuelled by another whisky boom, Historic Scotland have been investigating the feasibility of reviving Dallas Dhu as a producing distillery. Historic Scotland remain in discussions with Diageo, who may retain the brand name and sold the distillery in 1988 on the premise that it would be maintained as a museum. Discussions are described as ongoing, with only a few considerations remaining, including the fact that the buildings are Grade A listed. Time will tell if we can look forward to a new release from Dallas Dhu, which could arguably be more faithful than the revived Brora, Port Ellen and Rosebank distilleries combined.
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My thanks to Mark Davidson (Jolly Toper Tastings) for his assistance with some of the nitty gritty details. And James Eadie’s ‘The Distilleries of Great Britain & Ireland’ for a snapshot of the distillery circa November 1923. Images taken by myself, except the historical trio kindly provided by the Forgotten Whisky History Facebook Group.