Strathisla and aperitif


January 23, 2024

WF's Little Duos, Strathisla and aperitif

We are very pleased to have the opportunity to taste two Strathislas. Twenty or thirty years ago, the name was among the top guns, partly thanks to the wizards at Gordon & MacPhail, but it's not impossible that some young friends reading these lines today have simply never heard of Strathisla. But actually, everybody knows it well, it's that adorable and very old distillery built in 1786 (!) that you see in so many Scottish tourist brochures. It's true that Strathisla is also one of the base camps of Chivas Regal and Royal Salute… Oh but wait, of course, here's a perfect aperitif...

Chivas Regal 12 yo (43%, OB, blended scotch, cork, USA, New York, 75cl, +/-1955)

A legendary bottle with its cork stopper, but these series are also often affected by cork taint which makes them very risky to acquire at auctions or elsewhere. No wonder that in the 1960s, the brand launched the very famous advertisement above, after having changed... the closure of its famous bottles. Anyway, let's see what this gives us here... By the way, the importer was General Wine & Spirits Company, established in the famous Chrysler Building in NYC. Colour: deep gold. Nose: no cork taint for now, but a rather evident and quite perfect OBE, going towards herbal teas and distant smoky notes (a wood fire on the horizon). Some moss, slightly old fruits (a bag of last year's apples, in burlap bags, of course), mushrooms, soot, a bit of mead, then meatier notes with poultry broths and, why not, a pea and bacon soup. I told you, all of this is old-fashioned... I was also about to forget to mention some old raisins kept in an old tin box, as well as old mint leaves in another old tin box. Mouth: still no cork, but a mighty presence, lots of smoke, very nice bitters, still those old fruits, meat extracts, dried grapes... Does this nice bitterness come partly from the cork? I don't think so, it would be detectable on the palate. Finish: surprisingly long, quite dry. Regarding the cork taste, I'm now hesitating just a tiny bit... Especially since the aftertaste is very bitter. Comments: let's not forget that Chivas Regal also made much of the use of its age statement, which also helped to premiumise the brand. Well, I think there was a little bit of cork, other bottles from the same period had been much 'cleaner' (WF 86-88). And some others much worse.
SGP:462 - 80 points.

Now, let's move on to the Strathislas…

Strathisla 17 yo 20029/2020 (52.47%, Hidden Spirits, first fill bourbon barrels, cask #ST220, 201 bottles)

Strathisla 17 yo 2002/2020 (52.47%, Hidden Spirits, first fill bourbon barrels, cask #ST220, 201 bottles)

Colour: gold. Nose: rather big menthol, tealeaves, banana skins, then putty and lanoline. It then becomes fruitier and more approachable, with apricots and melons, and a profile that somewhat reminds me of Aberlour ex-bourbon. Candy apples, pollen, ripe apples... With water: there it is, we've broken it (I mean that in a good way) with even more fruits coming through. A fresh fruit salad, sweet honey, a bit of fresh mint – what a nice combination. Mouth (neat): really tight, with fresh fruits but also apple skins, bunches of grapes, green tea, gooseberries and rhubarb, then green pepper and a growing bitterness. With water: once again, there it is, the fruitiness takes the lead, with a bit of hops and white peaches. Only a few stems and leaves remain, like tea for example. Finish: medium length, quite balanced between herbs, leaves and orchard fruits. We're not exactly on mango or lychees. The aftertaste is more bitter. Comments: it does require some work, it doesn't give itself away easily. The bitterness comes and goes.
SGP:561 - 84 points.

Here is a much older one…

Strathisla 33 yo 1989/2022 (54.6%, HNWS Taiwan, The Spirits Hunter, hogshead, cask #5943, 165 bottles)

There you have it, the wonderful distillery with its two pagodas on the label. By the way, sorry for only posting small vignettes of the bottles, solely for recognition purposes, we absolutely wouldn't have time to do better. Even though I sometimes regret it (yes, I swear). Colour: dark gold. Nose: there are more fruits than in the Garden of Eden! It's magnificent. Peaches, apricots, melons, hardy buttered pears, fully ripe mirabelles (when they turn from yellow to red), and then all-flower honey from a very good beekeeper. Long live the bees! As you know, we wouldn't have all these fruits without the pollination by bees (and a few other charming little creatures). There's not much more to add. With water: it goes towards herbal teas, chartreuse, a little mugwort, woodruff, honeysuckle… All of which is, of course, admirable. Mouth (neat): it really is a beautiful age, as we've often noted when other famous vintages have reached it. 1965-1967, 1971-1972, 1976-1978… The woodiness is there but it only underlines, gracefully, all these fruits, which are quite simple, but just perfect. Especially the plums of all kinds. A tiny bit of glue, that's charming too. With water: it unfolds effortlessly, on ripe fruits and herbal teas, which must have, I feel it, some medicinal properties. Finish: medium but perfectly fruity. A tiny bit of salt and spices at the very end, but that, that should be the hogshead which undoubtedly still had a few little things to tell us. Comments: very happy to have been able to taste a rather old Strathisla. The previous one was the famous 72-year-old Milton from G&M, Milton being the former name of Strathisla. When will the next one be? (we'll ask Elgin…)
SGP:551 - 91 points.

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