Johnnie Walker continues its celebration of Scotland’s ghost distilleries with its fifth Ghost & Rare release, Port Dundas.
It’s always sad when a distillery closes. All that ambition, all that vision – it’s a shame when it’s lost to the tides of time. However, Johnnie Walker’s Blue Label has done its part to keep some of Scotland’s ‘ghost distillery’ legacies alive with its acclaimed Ghost & rare limited-edition collections, the latest of which captures the essence of one of Glasgow’s most iconic producers.
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The fifth release in the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost and Rare series, Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost and Rare Port Dundas explores the character of exceptional and rare whiskies from one of the world’s most famous Grain Whisky distilleries, the Glasgow “ghost” distillery of Port Dundas.
This renowned distillery, nestled on the banks of the Forth and Clyde Canal, shipped its distinct Scotch from Glasgow to ports across the world for nearly 200 years. Built in 1811, at the highest point in the city’s rich commercial history, Port Dundas became a whisky-blending powerhouse. Eventually growing to become a distillery known for its distinctive sweet and delicate Grain character before it closed in 2010.
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The Johnnie Walker Ghost and Rare series of special editions is crafted using irreplaceable ‘ghost’ whiskies and other incredibly rare expressions from the unparalleled Johnnie Walker reserves used to create the award-winning Johnnie Walker Blue Label.
The Johnnie Walker team, led by Johnnie Walker Master Blender Dr Emma Walker, have handpicked the most distinctive expressions of maturing whisky from Port Dundas for this new limited edition. The release marks Walker’s first after she took over the prestigious master blender role in 2022.
Walker chose to shine a light on these incredible expressions from Port Dundas, choosing a small number of distinctive, aged whiskies from our reserves, all matured in two different wood types to add depth and layers to the blend – with whiskies from aged second fill American oak bringing a touch of creamy vanilla, and Scotch from first fill highly charred American oak bringing a subtle wood spice.
To complement the fragrant wood spice character of Port Dundas, the team hand-selected two other ‘ghost’ whiskies from the distilleries of Cambus and Brora before combining these with other very rare Scotch from five iconic distilleries, crafting something truly exceptional.
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Creamy, wood notes from Port Dundas embrace the vanilla and soft smoke from the “ghost” whiskies of Cambus and original stocks of Brora. Other very rare whiskies from Cameronbridge and Glenkinchie reveal notes of spiced apples alongside Clynelish, Dailuaine and Auchroisk, bringing aromas of peaches and berries.
Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost and Rare Port Dundas is bottled at 43.8% abv and each bottle in this special release is individually numbered.
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