Strathisla 1969 Gordon & Macphail

Strathisla 2005/ Bottled 2016/ Gordon & MacPhail

As the majority of this distillery's output ends up in various Chivas blends, it is (with the exception of the un-inspiring 12 yo) not easy to come by. Gordon and MacPhail seems to have cornered the market for bottling the "unofficial" releases from Strathisla, and have put a nice selection on the market. This expression was distilled...

Score 83/100

Strathisla New Malt Distillate

Woohoo! Another new make. My list is becoming quite long. This new make is actually commercialised by Strathisla in 350ml bottles… or is it? The bottle clearly states ‘sample only, not for re-sale’. Anyway, lovely half bottle with their distillate at 63.5%, ready to go to sleep in the cask. Let’s give it a go! Cleane nose on mashed patatoes,...

Score 60/100

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

Strathisla Royal Salute 21

I was a bit hesitant to try the Royal Salute 21, being wary of gimmicks and marketing led premium prices that dominate the upper end of the blends market. What I discovered was an excellent surprise! A fragrant and uncomplicated nose of pleasing aromas. The first thing you get is lemon and honey followed by a toffee sweetness. There is a faint...

Score 90/100