Littlemill 12 Year

Pulled this sample from the stockpile that came my way through the SDT sampling group from @Generously_Paul It’s not often that one has the privilege of tasting history from extinct distilleries. There is a pleasant honey sweetness that comes across with an earthy dampness like that of a wet hay in a northeastern barn on a rainy September afternoon. There are other supporting aromas of lemon zest, unbaked, yeasty sourdough bread and tropical fruits. Toasted coconut, dried pineapple and apricots. A small amount of vanilla, hazelnut and oak sawdust emerge after a fair length of time. Sweet and spice in a delicate balance within a thin, soft, slick body. Cream soda, honey, with butterscotch and those tropical flavors which were found on the nose: toasted coconut, dried pineapple and apricots. The spices of ginger root and white pepper softly interplay with the sweetness. They never dominate or crescendo. As with the sweetness, the spice is level even. As it works towards the finish, it becomes slightly metallic with a touch of nuttiness. A short finish of honey, tea, oak and vanilla with an earthy quality. A nice, complex nose with a soft palate. This is an extremely easy sipper. It has a lightness and sweetness of a Japanese whiskey, like a Hibiki. If you could find a summer sipper, this would definitely be on the list. Thanks again @Generously_Paul sharing this piece of history. [87/100][Tasted: 11/23/19]

Ah, it’s time to revisit the Scottish Distillery Tour that was started several years ago by some friends of mine. The goal was to try a sample from every operational distillery at the time. We accomplished that goal in under 2 years, so my buddy Paul (from Michigan) decided to up the ante by grabbing some ghosted distillery samples to add to our “tasted” list. Hence, this Littlemill 12 year old. This was a Lowland distillery that closed and was subsequently destroyed by a fire. Bottles from this distillery can still be obtained at auction and at some higher end, boutique whisky shops around the world. Prices also tend to be on the higher side- like most ghosted bottles. This one is rich gold/faint amber in color and very watery with large drops and undefined legs in the tasting glass. It’s chill filtered and probably has added coloring while being bottled at 40% (most likely to stretch the dwindling stockpiles). The nose immediately struck me with a whiff of pine cones, but after some time that faded and left behind a nice, deep tropical note. Some milk chocolate, caramel and tea leaves mingled with the fruitiness, but there was a nice, oak barrel backbone holding everything together. The palate felt extremely light, probably due to the ABV more than anything else. Sherry cask notes, chocolate and caramel candies drove home the sweetness up front before allowing an unexpected harshness to crash the party. It didn’t wreck the overall flavor profile so much as it just made the dram seem hotter than 40%. It still felt a little oily and woody on the backend. The finish was medium length, still rather light and warm, though. Oily, sherry cask and tropical fruits lingered for a few moments before a final gasp of heat and peppered oak ended the session. Overall, this was a rather complex dram for a 12 year old that’s bottled at the bare minimum to be called a scotch. I’d be very interested to see if an older sample from Littlemill delivered a bigger experience. I’m scared to look and see what that would cost, as well. Paul paid close to $200 for this bottle so an 18-20 year old would possibly cost well over $500. Hmm, I’d have to pass I think. Thanks again, @Generously_Paul, this is easily a 3.75 star dram, with a little boost because it’s ghosted. Cheers.

Stop number 110 on the SDT is Littlemill. This Lowland distillery made the claim of having been the oldest officially licensed distillery in Scotland, having been founded in 1772. But it’s life in 1997 when it was dismantled and subsequently burned down in 2004. I was able to procure this 12 year old single malt official bottle by way of auction. I’m not sure what the retail prices were back in the day, but I had to pay over $170 to win it. Yes you have to pay out the nose for these pieces of liquid history. But I digress. Bottled at 40% ABV, chill filtered and I suspect a hefty dose of colorant making it an amber honey. The nose was quite musty at first, like old cardboard in a damp basement. Very malty and yeasty, spirity. Honey and a little lemon and a bit buttery. After settling down it becomes hugely tropical. Apricots, lots of coconut, plums, pineapple, dried strawberries and bananas. Pipe tobacco, oak, herbal - chamomile, grassy. Hazelnut, pecans, Nutella and almond butter. Baked apples, a very light wood spice and vanilla. The palate is very light and soft on arrival, then becomes very fruity. Canned peaches and apricots, cantaloupe, pineapple, oranges and coconut. Very tropical. Vanilla cream, honey, a bit tannic at times with a spice that builds the more you drink it, but never gets out of control. Dried strawberries, caramel, butterscotch, Earl Grey tea and pecans. Everything is good, but has an artificial feel to it, like it’s all swimming in canning syrup. A light to medium bodied mouthfeel that is oily/syrupy, mouthwatering then dry. A medium short finish with honey, oak, vanilla, pineapple, mango and Earl Grey tea. I’ve mentioned this before, but basing an opinion on a 1-2oz sample is a very flawed way of doing these reviews (of course there are exceptions for the exceptionally good/bad drams out there), and this bottle is a prime example. On first tasting I found this whisky to be very odd and confusing, but after a few sessions with it things really came together and made sense. This scotch is incredibly drinkable and it’s a real shame that it’s not widely available anymore. Will it blow your mind? No, but it is very solid. Is it worth $170? No, but I’m glad I bought it and, more importantly, shared it. Ghosted distilleries are always fun. At times this was a 4 star dram, but at other times it was closer to 3. Overall I have to go with 3.75. Cheers