Rhosdhu 1979 - 26 Year Old - First Cask - Single Cask 3228

Old Rhosdhu was one of the many different single malt whisky styles made at the experimental independent Loch Lomond distillery in the Highlands. Loch Lomond is a modern distillery, built in 1966, and Rhosdhu was one of the earliest styles of spirit made at the distillery. The house style of Old Rhosdhu tended towards the gentler, floral/fruity end of Loch Lomond’s exceptionally diverse stylistic spectrum.

Old Rhosdhu single malt whisky was officially bottled by Loch Lomond as a 5-year-old in the 1980s, with a highly-regarded 1967 vintage following in the mid-1990s. Occasional independent bottlings of Old Rhosdhu by Cadenhead’s, First Cask and others appeared from the mid-1990s, but production of Old Rhosdhu was halted around 2000. Recent independent bottlings of 1990s vintages of Old Rhosdhu have attracted high scores and are becoming highly sought after.

The First Cask range was a prolific series of single malt whisky bottlings by the UK’s largest mail order wine company Direct Wines Ltd, owner of Laithwaite’s and The Sunday Times Wine Club. From the early 1990s until the mid-Noughties Direct Wines released dozens of outstanding single cask whiskies annually under the First Cask label, almost all of which were bottled at 46%.

These whiskies were not particularly highly sought-after on release, probably because they were only sold online through a wine club.  Back then, of course, it was not widely known that the casks had been sourced from Signatory Vintage, which would certainly have raised their profile among whisky fans. Nowadays, although still frequently excellent value at auction, the First Cask collection - which includes hundreds of long-aged whiskies from distilleries including Brora, Port Ellen, Ardbeg and Macallan - is finally getting the recognition it deserves.