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The Cask Curation Series – Port Edition

Wine & Spirits by Bethany Whymark

Cask curation

The land around Porto is burning when we arrive. Forest fires, fueled by four months of drought, are raging to the east and smoke billows over the city toward the Atlantic Ocean. We’re here to see Symington Family Estates, a foremost name in Portugal’s port industry. Chief marketing officer and sustainability lead Rob Symington discusses the impact of the fires over lunch at the company’s Bomfim 1896 Pedro Lemos restaurant in Pinhão. He says rising global temperatures play a part in their frequency, noting that the valley recorded a temperature of 118°F in 2023. The changing climate presents challenges, but Symington is an eco-conscious business. In 2019 it became the first Portuguese drinks company to attain B Corp accreditation, indicating high standards of environmental and social sustainability. It’s also a business that understands the value of long-term thinking. Symington vines take roughly five years to start producing fruit considered suitable for winemaking. The mountainous terrain renders mechanical pickers almost inviable, meaning 96% of grapes are still hand-harvested. The cellar for its most highly prized brand, Graham’s, contains some of the world’s oldest bottles of port. Taking time to ensure quality makes Symington a perfect partner for another sector of the beverage alcohol industry: Scotch whisky. There is only one single malt whisky producer — not just in Scotland, but globally — that has access to Graham’s port casks: The Dalmore. Founded in 1839 by adventuring merchant Alexander Matheson, the distillery near Alness in the Highlands was taken over by descendants of Clan Mackenzie in 1867. Shortly after, it began experimenting with multi-cask maturation — more than a century before the practice would hit the Scotch mainstream. The Dalmore has been sourcing casks from Graham’s since master distiller Richard Paterson first visited its cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia in the 1970s. The brands are showcasing their unparalleled maturation expertise in a new collaboration: the Cask Curation Series – Port Edition. It comprises three single malts, aged 27, 30 and 43 years, finished in exceptional (and exceptionally rare) Graham’s single-harvest tawny port casks dating from 1997, 1994 and 1952. The trio will be sold together, presented in bespoke leather carry cases in a Graham’s-inspired shade of teal. Only 150 sets will be available globally. It is the second of four releases in the Cask Curation Series and follows the Sherry Edition, launched in 2023 in partnership with The Dalmore’s exclusive sherry cask supplier Gonzáles Byass.

This image Porto, Portugal Below Graham's Port Lodge

through. Classic Dalmore notes of chocolate and orange are complemented by rich red fruit, plump raisin, warming spice and nuttiness. For The Dalmore and Graham’s, this collection celebrates a shared ethos that holds quality paramount, the harmonious pairing of port and whisky symbolic of their long-standing bond. thedalmore.com

During an exclusive launch event for the Port Edition at the Graham’s 1890 Lodge in Gaia, we had the chance to sample the ports in question — including the last remaining bottle of the 1952 vintage — before The Dalmore team unveiled the whiskies. Although these spirits only rested briefly in the port casks (the 27 Year Old and 30 Year Old for two years, the 43 Year Old for three), the wines’ characters shine

Photos Till Britze