Erected in 1811 along the banks of the Forth and Clyde Canal in Glasgow, the commanding Port Dundas Distillery was a Scottish landmark, famed for its then-innovative use of American corn, barley, and rye to create a delicate, subtly sweet profile. It operated as the largest distillery in the country during its heyday, and though it survived a pair of fires and the never-ending swell of competition, 2010 would see its final bottle. After 200 years in operation, the site was demolished in 2011, its absence haunting like an apparition in the night. 

Johnnie Walker is resurrecting the fabled name with the recent release of Blue Label Ghost and Rare Port Dundas, the fifth soldier in the Scotch whisky giant’s award-studded limited series that honors fallen distilleries. (The first in the collection, launched in 2017, was an homage to the Scottish icon Brora and featured a gloriousbouquetofpeat,pineapple,hazelnut,anddarkchocolate.) 

In crafting Walker’s latest expression, Master Blender Dr. Emma Walker hand-selected whiskies aged in two types of wood: American oak for its creamy vanilla character, and highly charred American oak for its subtle wood spice. “Port Dundas was, in its day, one of the finest grain whisky distilleries in the world and the rare expressions that we have chosen from our reserves are some of the most distinctive it has ever produced,” explained the alchemist. 

“Their slow maturation allows the sweet and delicate grain character to blossom.” 

But Dundas isn’t the only ghost in the bottle. Walker tapped seven other distilleries – two of them “ghosts” themselves, Cambus and Brora – to find the perfect complement for the wood spice, adding layers of vanilla, soft smoke, spiced apples, peaches, and berries. It’s a complex sipper indeed; pour a finger and toast to a nightcap 200 years in the making.

$500 johnniewalker.com