Dunglass Whisky

I've got a miniature from Dunglass from Barton Distillers Ltd.
On the label it's a pure malt whisky.
Who can tell me if this is a single or a vatted malt?

[Jojo]

Andy44 -

If your bottle of Dunglass states it's a pure malt whisky - this means it was blended with other malts from different distilleries. Pure malt is the same as a 'vatted malt'. A pure or vatted malt does NOT contain a combination of malt & grains from different distilleries - those produced this way is a blended whisky.

A single malt is produced by a single distillery. If your Dunglass is a single malt, it would (should) certainly state so.

Can you post a photo of your Dunglass?

Pure Malt whisky was often used to mean vatted malt, but I don't think it ever actually had a legal definition. Going back a few decades the term was often used on single malts as well. Dunglass is the name of a very rare experimental peated single malt whisky produced at the now-demolished Littlemill distillery in the late 1960s, at which time they were indeed owned by Barton. If your miniature is indeed of Dunglass single malt (and it looks a lot like it is), and if you still have it, hang on to it and for God's sake don't open it - it is extremely valuable.

[Jojo]

I stand corrected...There were some cases (according to Michael Jackson) where the term "Pure Malt" was used on a single malt scotch - Cardhu for one. However, this term was confusing for the customer because for example, it was also used on vatted malts such as Johnnie Walker Green - which is in fact a blend of 15 single malt whiskies from different distilleries. So which is it? Yes, I agree a marketing technique perhaps gone bad? Thankfully the term "Pure Malt" is no longer used, however, if you see it on a bottle, it's one that has been around before the new legal term "Blended Malt" came into play. And, yes, today's bottles of Johnnie Walker Green indicate the new (legal) term "Blended Malt" on its label as Cardhu's label now reflects it's a single malt scotch whisky.

Perhaps there's more to this which I do not know, and if you do, please by all means enlighten me!

[blenderm]

Dunglass was a single malt produced at Littlemill distillery from the mid 1950's through to 1968. Duncan Thomas, who owned the distillery, was in inventor and tried to produce different whiskies by various methods during this time, there was a third malt produced but I've forgotten the name. He also built Loch Lomond distillery in 1964.

The label states Barton Distillers who started as a partner in the 2 distilleries and ended up owning them after Duncan's death, so I would assume that the bottle comes from the mid 1960's to around 1971/72 when Barton sold both of them.