September 23, 2014

Strathmill and Strathmill

Time for a slightly more obscure name for a change, with two newish Strathmills. The older one’s much lighter in alcohol, so we’ll have it first if you don’t mind, in a pretty unorthodox way… Oh and I’ve just checked that I’ve only tried 22 different Strathmills until this very day! Booh!

Strathmill 1975/2013 (42.1%, Malts of Scotland, bourbon hogshead, cask #MoS 13047, 212 bottles)

Colour: gold. Nose: a rather beautiful nose, relatively discrete but in an ultra-classic ‘un-sherried Speysider’ manner. So we’ve got overripe apples aplenty, some wild yellow flowers, touches of banana skin, a spoonful of honeydew, some custard, and then whiffs of crushed mint leaves and maybe a little eucalyptus. A little freshly sawn pinewood too. Mouth: the oak’s more obvious, which is quite normal at this ripe old age. Quite a lot of tea, herbal teas, cinnamon, white pepper, nutmeg. Some bitter chocolate too, liquorice wood, maybe a little chewing tobacco (or rather these little bags that they have in Scandinavia.) Pear drops, perhaps? Juicy fruits? Finish: of medium length, on herbal tea plus a little honey and walnuts. More liquorice wood in the aftertaste. Comments: it’s the nose that’s quite splendid. The palate is starting to show its oaky side. Mind you, this baby’s more or less 38. SGP:361 - 85 points.

Strathmill 25 yo 1988/2014 (52.4%, OB, Special Release, 2700 bottles)

At £270, it isn’t cheap, but it’s not horrendously expensive. Cough, cough, now, it’s not Port Ellen either… Funny ‘Gatsby’ design. Colour: pale gold. Nose: quite the opposite of the 1975, with much more toasted oak, Ovaltine and coffee. Maybe even a little chicory. In fact, it’s one of the maltiest whiskies I’ve ever nosed. And cornflakes! Mocha! Cappuccino! Quite a breakfast whisky, I’d say. With water: more fruits, around oranges and ripe gooseberries, but the malty side remains. Touches of menthol. I really like these pretty compact and focused noses. Mouth (neat): sweetened coffee and Mars bar (no, not deep-fried) plus more cornflakes than in a Kellog’s tri-pack bundle (buy two, get one free like.) They’re honey-coated cornflakes, I have to add. Funnily enough, I also find these notes of eucalyptus that were in the 1975’s… nose. Solid body. With water: same style, only rounder, and once again more oranges come through, together with a few Christmas spices. Gingerbread. Finish: of medium length, with a touch of spicy new oak (pencil shavings) and always a lot of malt. Ovaltine! Comments: the 1975’s nose was rather more impressive, but the 1988’s palate was way above that one. Can you deep-fry whisky? There has to be a way… SGP:451 - 88 points.

Check the index of all Strathmill I've tasted so far

Pete McPeat and Jack Washback