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