
June 1, 2016

A quartet of Old Strathisla by G&M

G&M are undisputedly the kings of old Strathisla, while Chivas don't seem to be willing to 'push' the brand... sorry, the distillery too much these days. So, expect a majority of G&M bottlings... Oh well, let's do it 100% G&M.

Strathisla 40yo (43%, Gordon & MacPhail Licensed Bottling, +/-2011)

A non-vintage 40 years old bottled around 2000 was quite fantastic (WF 90). Not too sure if this is multi-vintage or not, to tell you the truth. Colour: deep amber. Nose: this starts well, very well. Superlative golden raisins and kougelhopf plus fudge and toffee (a whole pack) for a start, then a progressive shift towards pine needles, pinesap, menthol, cough syrup and assorted elements. It can happen that these kinds of developments in very old whisky become a little off-putting, but that's certainly not the case here, quite the opposite. Unless you just hate cough syrup! Mouth: sure the oak bites a bit, with a very gingery and peppery arrival plus something drying, around strong black tea... But when the liquorice kicks in, together with many burnt dried fruits (the kougelhopf had been forgotten in the oven), everything gets better. Heavy pinesap, though. Finish: long, bitter, with many old walnuts and more strong tea. Tannic aftertaste. Comments: the oak starts to feel on the palate, while the nose remained wonderful. Still a very excellent old Strathisla. SGP:471 - 86 points.

Strathisla 1970/2011 (43%, Gordon & MacPhail Licensed Bottling)

Colour: mahogany. Nose: bigger and thicker than the 40, with more prunes, old armagnac, Christmas cake, peonies, tamarind jam, prune sauce, then rather caraway, cumin, cloves, citronella, spearmint, damp garden peat, touches of almond oil... All that works in perfect sync. Wonderful and ultra-classic, same level as the 40 so far. Which means that it's the palate that'll tell us more... Mouth: really huge, with less sappy oak, and many more fresh and dried fruits. Especially the oranges make it very elegant and vibrant. Toffee, raisins, heather honey, milk chocolate, then some dill, aniseed, and verbena... And some coffee. Perfect. Finish: long, rich, spicy, with a little more menthol this time. Muscovado sugar for sure. Comments: pretty amazing, with great balance and freshness given the age and the amount of oak and sherry. SGP:561 - 91 points.

Strathisla 1967/2015 (43%, Gordon & MacPhail Licensed Bottling)

This baby's relatively new. Colour: dark amber, so paler than the 1970. Nose: a little more menthol again, which rather puts it in the 40 yo's ballpark, but there are also stunning whiffs of cedar wood, wild cigars (I mean fresh Cubans), earthy pu-ehr tea, a touch of bacon, Chinese fermented plum sauce, eucalyptus (a lot), camphor, Vick's, hessian, old cellar... All that. Fantastically profound. Mouth: a wee prickly side for a start (Schweppes) and that's the oak talking, but before two seconds, we're drinking a liquid fruitcake sprinkled with crème de menthe and fir tar liqueur. Extremely good, perfectly balanced, rich and yet elegant, totally old-school... A beauty! Finish: medium, fresh, with a little lemongrass and then more marmalade, Seville oranges... More mint again in the aftertaste. Comments: perfect sherry, perfect wood, perfect Strathisla. Remember G&M 'mature and bottle' these whiskies, as stated on the label, they don't just buy ready casks. This 1967 was just a notch lighter than the 1970. SGP:561 - 92 points.

A last one, an old young one...

Strathisla 15 yo (100° proof, Gordon & MacPhail Licensed Bottling, +/- 1970)

Yes we needed an antique bottle. This is 1950s distillation, and it's sheltered in G&M's famous slikscreened bottle. Colour: dark amber. Nose: different, rounder, and much more fudge-y. Cappuccino, mocha, Mars bar, caramel, Werther's Originals (or any butterscotch), praline, a large box of assorted chocolates by Lindt... With water: a U-turn! Metal polish, earth, bicycle inner tube, Barbour jacket, fresh concrete... Lots of fun. Mouth (neat): huge stuff, 'wider' than expected, with stunning oranges and drops of ginger ale and limoncello. I wasn't expecting this kind of tart zestiness. With water: amazing. Some kind of high-end caramel cake, plenty of milk chocolate, and truckloads of raisins, from muscat to classic sultanas. And the oranges are still there. Finish: long, perfect. Cointreau-filled chocolate and quite some toffee. Comments: just excellent. Bottles to buy at auctions if you ask me, they usually go for fair prices. SGP:551 - 90 points.

And quickly, a paler variant while we're at it...

Strathisla 15 yo (100° proof, Gordon & MacPhail, 75cl, +/- 1980)

Colour: gold. Nose: much less sherry in this one, and rather more phenolic, earthy notes. In truth I find it even more amazing. Linseed oil, graphite, hay, old leather, tobacco, a little smoked ham, drops of diesel oil... Juts superb. With water: pah-pah-pah... You'd think you're in the northern Highlands. That's right, just north of the charming little town of Brora. Wet chalk, plasticine, wet wool, engine oil... Typical old Strathisla, much more 'old Highlands' than 'modern Speyside'. Impressed. Mouth (neat): stunning mentholated, liqueury arrival, ridden with caraway, peppermint, verbena, liquorice, camphor... The freshness is flabbergasting. With water: totally superlative. Amazing mentholy profile, with an avalanche of herbs and tiny dried fruits. Finish: long, minty, liquoricy, herbal, perfect, just perfect. Comments: totally 'grand cru' quality. It's true that the 'darker' old bottlings of Strathislas are more famous, but please watch the lightly coloured ones. Stunning distillate and stunning work by G&M. SGP:462 - 93 points.

Schluss!

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

	May 2016
	Favourite recent bottling: Caol Ila 31 yo 1984/2015 (54%, Malt Barn, bourbon, 68 bottles) - WF 93 Favourite older bottling: Yamazaki ‘Age Unknown’ (43%, OB, 1989) - WF 94 Favourite bang for your buck bottling: Clan Denny Islay (46.5%, Douglas Laing, blended malt, +/-2015) - WF 90 Favourite malternative: Caroni 17 yo 1998/2015 ‘Extra Strong’ (55%, Velier, Trinidad) - WF 90