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Glendullan 18 Year Old Manager's Dram 1989 | Sherry Cask | 64% | 75cl | S.M.D. Staff Association
£899.99
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Glendullan 18 Year Old Manager's Dram 1989 | Sherry Cask | 64% | 75cl | S.M.D. Staff Association
A whisky that was never meant to be sold. The Manager's Dram series is one of the most revered and collectible chapters in Scotch whisky history — expressions specially selected by individual distillery managers, bottled at natural cask strength, and given as personal gifts to the friends and employees of the distillery. This Glendullan was bottled in November 1989: a richly coloured, 18-year-old Speyside single malt, matured in sherry cask, bottled at a robust 64% ABV for the S.M.D. (Scottish Malt Distillers) Staff Association. The label is signed by the distillery manager and dated 8th November 1989. Only a handful of examples are known to survive undrunk. This is one of them.
Key Features
- Distillery: Glendullan
- Region: Speyside, Scotland
- Age: 18 Years Old
- Bottled: 8 November 1989
- Cask: Sherry Cask
- ABV: 64% (Natural Cask Strength)
- Volume: 75cl
- Bottled for: S.M.D. (Scottish Malt Distillers) Staff Association
- Signed by the Distillery Manager
- Extremely rare — only a few bottles survive undrunk
Tasting Notes
- Nose: Deep, richly sherried — dark dried fruits, raisins, Medjool dates, and Christmas cake, with polished old oak, dark chocolate, and a warming ginger spice. At 64% the sherry intensity is immediate and powerful, softening with time in the glass into something more contemplative
- Palate: Full and velvety at cask strength — treacle, stewed plums, dark toffee, and roasted nuts with the characteristic Glendullan fruit sweetness woven through a deeply satisfying sherry oak structure. Old leather and clove emerge mid-palate
- Finish: Long, warming, and dry — dark fruit and sherry oak echo across a slow, dignified fade, with the warmth of 64% ABV maintaining presence long after the last sip
Note: Tasting notes written from expert knowledge of heavily sherried 1989 Speyside at cask strength. Swap in verified notes if available.
About the Manager's Dram Series
The Manager's Dram was an entirely private tradition within the old Scottish Malt Distillers network — the operating arm of DCL (Distillers Company Ltd) that managed some of Scotland's most important distilleries. Each year, individual distillery managers would select exceptional casks from their own warehouses, bottle them at natural cask strength without filtration or dilution, and distribute them personally to staff, family, and friends. These bottles were never intended for retail. They were gifts — expressions of pride in the liquid and the people who made it. As a result, documented examples are exceptionally rare, and surviving bottles in original condition have become among the most sought-after collector's items in Scotch whisky. Glendullan, established in 1897 in Dufftown, Speyside, produces the fruity, clean style of spirit that its regional location and tall stills demand — and 18 years in sherry cask has transformed it into something extraordinary.
Perfect For
- Serious collectors of historical Manager's Dram bottlings — among the rarest Speyside expressions in existence
- Whisky historians and enthusiasts seeking a documented piece of Scottish distilling heritage
- Investors in verified old and rare Scotch whisky with provenance and exceptional scarcity
- Those seeking an irreplaceable piece of pre-1990 Speyside distilling at its most authentic
Delivery & Authenticity
Every bottle sold by Whiskys.co.uk is 100% authentic and sourced through verified, trusted channels. We ship across the UK and internationally with fully insured, specialist packaging for high-value bottles. All orders are handled with the utmost care by our family team in Stamford Bridge, Yorkshire.
Enquire about this bottle today — a signed, dated, 1989 Manager's Dram from Glendullan, one of the rarest and most historically significant Speyside bottlings available anywhere. Contact us directly for provenance documentation and shipping arrangements.