Good and simple young Strathmills


August 21, 2026

	WF's Little Duos,
today simple young Strathmills
Yet another name we rather enjoy keeping alive on this wretched little website, even if it means giving it slightly more coverage than its true standing among the vast flood of single malts available on the market might warrant. Just imagine, we ought to reach one hundred different Strathmills tasted before 2030! Or perhaps much sooner, should our friends the brokers decide to unleash another vast batch of casks onto the market...

Strathmill 10 yo 2014/2025 (56.4%, Watt Whisky, hogshead, 310 bottles)

Colour: white wine. Nose: rather yeasty and gently acetic, although that's not the slightest problem, quite the opposite in fact. Bière de garde, kombucha, sauvignon blanc, grapefruit liqueur... Then a generous slab of freshly baked country bread. With water: very little changes, apart from the arrival of some honeyed notes, rather evocative of mead. Mouth: we do enjoy these slightly oily, thick and peppery citrus fruits. With water: very good indeed, still firmly on citrus fruits, lemon juice, green peppercorns and honey. A little touch of ginger. Finish: fairly long, following much the same lines. Comments: as good as proper fresh bread as we say. Or perhaps lemon fougasse.
SGP:551 - 85 points.

Strathmill 14 yo 2011/2025, (55%, Spirit of Scotland, James Gordon, refill bourbon barrel, cask #805666, 174 bottles)

A sub-brand of Gordon & MacPhail, as you know. Colour: white wine. Nose: plenty of wax and rapeseed oil to begin with, followed by sesame, wild carrots, plantain and even a little plasticine. We rather suspect there's some lingering influence from the cask's previous occupant. The rest of the profile revolves around ripe apples. With water: lovely waxiness, propolis, and still that faint touch of plasticine... Mouth (neat): yes, almost certainly the previous contents of the cask at work here, it's very earthy and smoky, with quite a bit of ash layered over apples and pepper. With water: lemons come charging in and restore order, although the smokiness remains. Finish: long, with notes of verbena and angelica. Comments: well, this almost feels like a blended malt. A high-quality blended malt, naturally.
SGP:552 - 85 points.

Check the index of all Strathmill we've tasted