Little Duos, today Strathmill


April 18, 2025

WF’s Little Duos, today Strathmill

Once again, as part of our special programme ‘No Scottish Distillery Left Behind’ — which is becoming increasingly hard to uphold as the number of new ‘world’ whiskies continues to skyrocket. At just two pretty small and recent festivals, we came across at least fifteen new distilleries we’d never even heard of before. Seriously.

Carthusian walnut liqueur (Liqueur de Noix des Pères Chartreux - La Boutique de Théophile)

Strathmill 10 yo 2014/2024 (51.1%, Murray McDavid, Benchmark, Koval quarter cask finish, 1174 bottles)

Certainly, ‘Benchmark’ is the name of the range, but it still feels a tad peculiar to see it pinned on a young Strathmill finished in… well, what exactly? What sort of Koval was it then? Rye? Bourbon? Millet? Truth be told, a benchmark for us would rather be a Springbank 1965, a Macallan 1957, a Brora 1972 or a Bowmore 1964… Ah well, onwards… Colour: straw. Nose: well, this is pleasant, fresh, with cider apples, barley, lemon, green pear and a touch of fresh cement (no worries). With water: rounder, with vanilla custard, yellow fruit jam and barley syrup. Mouth (neat): creamy mouthfeel, most likely courtesy of the American oak, with lemon blossom honey, more pear, sponge cake, vanilla and indeed, wee touches of rye. It’s perhaps a little gender-fluid in style, and that’s no bad thing. With water: not much change, save for a little extra fresh oakiness. Finish: good length, rather gentle and malty. The pear and the oak continue to hum sweetly in the aftertaste. Comments: nothing to add really, it’s just very good.
SGP: 541- 84 points.

Strathmill 12 yo 2012/2024 ‘Edition #36’ (57.1%, Signatory Vintage, 100 Proof, 1st fill oloroso sherry butt)

Once again with these cleverly upmarketed series, premiumised from the inside rather than through flashy labels or packaging, and perfectly timed with the shifting sands of the whisky market. Or so it seems to me. Less than €50 a bottle, by the way. Colour: full gold. Nose: no denying the sherry’s doing the heavy lifting here, as Strathmill’s distillate isn’t quite assertive enough to take charge. That said, there’s a lovely mentholated note riding alongside chocolate and prunes, with a dab of soy sauce and a few earthy roots. With water: brownies and an amusing touch of sweetish garlic. Mouth (neat): really good, kicking off with a tiny morsel of candied ginger, then moving on to walnut liqueur, dark chocolate and a teaspoon of beef bouillon, even with a faint dusting of ground coriander. With water: a hint of blueberry tart. Finish: long and a tad more peppery, with a rather splendid bittersweet sherry and a touch of fresh turmeric. Comments: these bottlings strike me as particularly clever. There, it’s said.
SGP:561 - 87 points.

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