Lady of the Glen 21 Year Old Littlemill – 53.6%

With roots as old as 1750 the Littlemill Distillery was rumoured to be the oldest in Scotland before it burned down in 2004.

Colour: Golden

Nose: Bees wax and woody honeycomb sweetness amongst a field full of barley. Leather. Slight alcohol nip if you inhale too strongly.

Palate: Thick and fairly woody with a dollop of spice. With time the grassy barley malt comes through along with citrus tropical fruits and a slight slate or flinty stone like quality.

Finish: An oxymoron of old and fresh, ultimately fairly sweet, velvety and long with a slight ending sourness from wood tannins.

Water: A drop of water doesn’t hurt at all, it brings forward more malty notes and sweetens it up a touch, also giving a buttery edge and underlining the woody oak.

Thoughts: A fairly complex dram to spend some time with and to be enjoyed from this closed lowland distillery! Good stuff.

Extra info: American oak ex-bourbon. 309 bottles. 42 left at time of review.

Available: Lady of the Glen – £95 inc post.

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Thanks to Lady of the Glen for the sample.