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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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January 13, 2026 |
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The Time Warp Sessions,
Indie Strathmill,
47 and 12 years old |
Ah, Strathmill! Another Speyside distillery that isn’t heavily marketed but which we love tasting, nonetheless. It remains relatively rare, and it’s probably not the modest official Flora & Fauna release that’s going to turn Strathmill into the next Macallan. At any rate, not just yet… That said, there have been quite a few fairly old Strathmills released by independent bottlers in recent years – but certainly not a 47-year-old like the one we’re about to start with today. This breaks with convention, not least because its bottling strength is fairly modest, especially compared to the little powerhouse we’ll be setting it against today.
It’s worth noting that Strathmill, like Knockando, is one of the malts associated with the J&B brand. |
This famous press advert for J&B dates precisely from 1974, the year the first Strathmill we’re about to taste was distilled. |
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Strathmill 47 yo 1974/2021 (41.5%, Gordon & MacPhail, The Dram Takers, Book of Kells, refill American hogshead, 50 bottles) 
Who doesn’t like G&M’s famous Book of Kells labels? Hands up! In any case, here comes the oldest Strathmill we’ve ever had the pleasure of encountering. The previous holder of this enviable distinction was a 39-year-old 1962/2001 from a well-known Glasgow-based indy bottler. Sadly, that one had felt a little ‘over the hill’ on the palate (WF 83). Colour: gold. Nose: a curious medley of crushed banana and olive oil to start—are you in? Then a splash of orgeat syrup enlivened with a hint of mint and pine bud liqueur. Followed by whiffs of marzipan, waxed cardboard and beehive air. But worry not, there’s no sting in the tail; quite the opposite in fact, as it’s all rather elegant, with a restrained sort of refinement, gently lifted by the mint after a few minutes’ rest. Mouth: this is unmistakably an old whisky, with the wood having taken the upper hand, no doubt about it, yet there’s also lighter balsa and incense, green banana, more olive oil, and above all a rather striking and genuinely surprising salinity. A few wisps of tobacco too, along with a little bit of tea leaf for good measure. Finish: not very long, but the olive oil and salt do a fine job of keeping the whole thing together. One could almost dunk slices of crusty country bread in one’s glass and call it lunch. A bitter almond note lingers on the aftertaste. Comments: there’s something genuinely moving about this very old Strathmill, as if it were quietly bidding us farewell. With tremendous poise and a tear in its (our!) eye.
SGP:361 - 89 points. |
Quite possibly the complete opposite now… |
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Strathmill 12 yo 1992/2005 (63.9%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection, bourbon barrel, 216 bottles) 
Colour: straw. Nose: it’s almost amusing, so intensely is it on cider apples, crushed slate and... not much else really, apart from a good dose of lawn. Nearly 64% vol., mind you... With water: about-face! Here come the greengages, angelica, fresh almonds, wee pears and fresh jujubes. Oh, and a touch of barley too... Mouth (neat): this one’s brutal, it goes full throttle on apple eau-de-vie, with even a glimmer of multi-column rum. Glug! With water: not a huge transformation, but the texture becomes oilier, slightly fattier, and now there’s a little lemon zest thrown into the melee. But what a beast! Finish: long, with more assorted lemons turning up, and a reprise—though in a more toned-down, sweetened manner—of that olive oil and salt combo last seen in the moving Dram Takers. Bit more bitterness on the aftertaste. Comments: well, it’s still a bit of a bruiser, let’s be honest.
SGP:371 - 84 points. |
(A thousand gracias, Tom) |
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