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Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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April 22, 2024 |
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WF's Little Duos, today two
superb wee Lowlanders
A quick tasting session featuring an old Littlemill by Silver Seal that I've always wanted to try and a very rare independent Glenkinchie serving as a sparring partner. Apparently, it's a Glenkinchie, but we have no doubt about that... |

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Littlemill 23 yo 1990/2013 (54.8%, Silver Seal, cask #33, 10 magnums, 150cl) 
There are only ten bottles, but they are magnums. That's got quite some panache don't you agree? We remember that Littlemills from the late 1980s and early 1990s were or are for the most part extraordinary, for a reason that remains unknown to me, as earlier vintages had been much less remarkable... Colour: white wine. Nose: we often mention the white Sauvignons from the central Loire, like Sancerre or Pouilly-Fumé, well, we are right in there. Massive quantities of wet chalk, flint (with a slight mineral smokiness), lemon and green apple, not to forget pink grapefruit and mango, but without any vulgarity. As they say, it speaks. With water: a few touches of vanilla and Earl Grey, a three-kilo pack of Banana Foam... Palate (neat): it's very tight, very much on lemon zest, with almost a slightly soapy side, as in many artisanal limoncellos (no names, I value my health). Liquorice allsorts, marshmallows, passion fruit, green tea... With water: and there you have it, an explosion of exotic fruit candies and, let's say, an old Bushmills malt side. A perfect fruity bomb. Finish: rather long, leaning towards an all-vitamins fruit juice. Comments: this style almost takes you back to childhood. Sadly, I don't see many new Littlemills anymore, but let's remember that the distillery stopped speaking in 1994...
SGP:751 - 90 points. |

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A Lowland Distillery 13 yo 2009/2022 (57.2%, The Single Malts of Scotland, hogshead, cask #303994, 251 bottles) 
With a lovely drawing of Glenkinchie Distillery on the label, which surely isn't there by complete chance. Colour: white wine. Nose: to tell the truth, it's not far from the very fruity profile of Littlemill, and rather different from the slightly patisserie-like and quite light character of the official Glenkinchies. On the other hand, we haven't tasted thousands of official Glenkinchies either. I find quite a bit of greengage plums, apples of all kinds, hints of fennel and anise, rhubarb, white peach, a touch of green banana... Very nice! With water: a camomile and lemon liqueur aspect, a fifty-fifty. A bit of light honey. Mouth (neat): it's rather lively, a bit herbal and, above all, very lemony. A hint of fresh coriander. With water: we're coming back around to Littlemill, but with a less exotic and more northern character, we might say. Greengage plums and apples lead the dance, and I also detect a bit of cane sugar. Finish: medium length, fresh, fruity, almost approaching an (excellent) grain whisky at this stage. Comments: perhaps we should have tasted this Glenkinchie before the Littlemill. It's always the problem with ascending alcohol levels.
SGP:651 - 86 points. |
Hold on, we could add a little independent Auchentoshan, there aren't that many of those… |

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Auchentoshan 25 yo 1998/2023 (54.3%, A Few Barrels Company, Uniqueness of the Cask, bourbon barrel, cask #100976, 119 bottles) 
We tasted an excellent Octomore by A Few Barrels Company the other day, so let's see what's happening on the other side of the spectrum. It's true that between Octomore and Auchentoshan, well, you see... Colour: straw. Nose: it's amusing to find a rather uniform style among all these Lowlanders, this tense and fruity side, but here we're even more into marshmallows and fruit syrups here, including lemon syrup. I also find more tinned peaches and a very light rum side, quite amusing. Well, it's not Hampden either... With water: very delicate, it's like a Bellini (champagne and peach puree). Palate (neat): superb, very vertical, all-in on lemon, green walnut, and clay. The structure is very herbal but that works very well. With water: the Bellini is back, as are the assorted fruit candies, especially the raspberry and blackberry ones. Oh yes, really, these Lowlanders take you back to childhood, to the times when we started tasting 'canards' (ducks - a drop of eau-de-vie on a sugar cube). Finish: medium length, fresh and very fruity. Comments: magnificent Auchentoshan. As elsewhere, the independents are flying the flag high for the distillery!
SGP:641 - 89 points. |
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