Port Dundas, the historic ghost distillery in Glasgow, is being celebrated by Johnnie Walker with the launch of The Blue Label Ghost & Rare Port Dundas. These are the fifth Blue Label Ghost & Rare release and the first for Master Blender, Dr Emma Walker.
When we hear the word ghost, we imagine a haunting, scary apparition, but in distilling, the word relates to a distillery that has ceased production. The Port Dundas distillery fell silent in 2010, but some of the whisky produced there has been kept, so exceptional whisky like the Johnnie Walker The Blue Label Ghost & Rare Port Dundas can be bottled.
The Blue Label Ghost Rare & Port Dundas was introduced to guests by Manager, Bā by 61M Chris Chai. He led a session sampling classic Johnnie Walker Blue Label whiskies and previous Ghost & Rare releases. These included Ghost & Rare Glenury Royal and Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost & Rare Pittyvaich. The guests were on a journey experiencing the different flavour profiles of each release and how every Ghost & Rare release is unique.
A video by Dr Emma Walker was played to introduce the fifth edition of the Ghost & Rare series. Dr Walker is the Master Blender of Johnnie Walker, and she was appointed in 2022.
The Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost & Rare Port Dundas is the first Ghost & Rare release for Dr Walker.
Irreplaceable “ghost” whiskies and other super rare expressions from the Johnnie Walker reserves were used to craft the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost & Rare Port Dundas. It explores the character of rare and exceptional whiskies from the famous Glasgow “ghost” distillery of Port Dundas.
Port Dundas was located on the banks of the Forth and Clyde Canal and produced whisky for almost two hundred years. It was built in 1811 and became a powerhouse in whisky blending, then a distillery known for sweet and delicate grain character whisky. Led by Master Blender Dr Emma Walker, the Johnnie Walker team of whisky makers picked the most distinctive expressions of maturing whisky from Port Dundas for this new limited edition.
Dr Emma Walker has worked in the team for over ten years and chose to shine a light on these incredible expressions from Port Dundas. She selected a small number of distinctive, aged whiskies from the Johnnie Walker reserves, matured in two wood types to add layers and depth to the blend.
Whiskies from aged, second-fill American oak brings a touch of Scotch and creamy Vanilla, and the first-fill, highly charred American oak brings a subtle wood spice.
To complement the fragrant wood spice character of Port Dundas, Dr Emma Walker and her team selected two other ‘ghost’ whiskies. These came from the distilleries of Cambus and Brora and combined with rare Scotch from five iconic distilleries producing something exceptional.
You get creamy wood notes from Port Dundas that embrace the soft smoke and Vanilla from the “ghost” whiskies of Cambus and original stocks of Brora. Rare whiskies from Cameronbridge and Glenkinchie reveal notes of spiced apples alongside Clynelish, Dailuaine and Auchroisk, bringing aromas of berries and peaches.
If you would like to find out more about Johnnie Walker Whiskey and its range of products, please visit www.johnniewalker.com.
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