Strathisla 1953 Bottled 1980s Gordon & Macphail

Strathisla 12 Year Old (flat bottle)

I have a love/hate relationship with Speyside whiskies. Many of the ones I've tasted are not according to my tastes, but once in a while I stumble upon as true gem. Strathisla is one of them. The 12 year old is an expression with a near-perfect balance of smoke and smoothness. From its citrus nose to its palate of dried fruit and the smoothness of...

Score 85/100

Strathisla 12 Year Old (flat bottle)

My friend and I did a tasting recently and he showed up with a 100 ml sample of Strathisla 12 yo for me. This is one of those ones that I’ve heard of, but never really considered. I’ve always walked right past it in the store. Well, it turns out that this one is quite nice. It won’t blow your socks off, but it’s a good whisky at a good price....

Score 86/100

Strathisla 13 Year Old 1998 Gordon & Macphail

This Gordon & Macphail bottling contains a young Strathisla, both age-wise and distillation year. It has a surprisingly bright color. The nose shows the typical fruitiness of Strathisla, but also has a metallic side, as if it was poured from a can. Some toffee and caramel on the sweet side. Hazelnuts. Coffee. Pleasant, but simple. Rather light...

Score 80/100

Strathisla 40 Year Old 1967 Gordon & Macphail

This Strathisla is of a whole other calibre. It matured for no less than four decades and was bottled by Gordon & Macphail in 2007. The nose alone is a feast. Sherry, caramel, roasted almonds and hazelnuts, Nutella chocolate spread and a leaf of mint. Some cinnamon. Slowly but surely some roast beef creeps in. Rather complex and very, very...

Score 86/100