9 April 2018

08/04/2018 Two Littlemills

Littlemill 33yo 1967/2000 (49.1%, Iain Mackillop Mackillop's Choice, C#668): nose: it is immediately a mix of old jams in a cellar and a walk in a pine forest. Shortly thereafter, wood varnish emerges, cork, bung cloth, diesel fumes, stale tobacco, polished dashboards and even cellophane. This one is feinty and woody -- it did spend a long time in wood, after all! Mouth: peppery wood varnish on the first impression, with walnut vinegar soon to follow, a touch of ink, maybe, peanut oil -- the texture is quite oily, in fact. Plum compote, Madeira, dried figs, dried kiwi cubes. The mouth is woody too, but more fruit comes out that in the nose. Finish: nuttiness abounds, with pistachio shells, pecan nuts, rapeseed oil, plum stones and then warm rhubarb compote, dried Selkirk bannock, rum-infused raisins and spiked sticky toffee pudding. Excellent drop! 9/10

Littlemill 26yo 1988/2015 (52.5%, Hart Brothers Finest Collection Cask Strength, Sherry Butt): nose: very similar to the Mackillop offering, yet perhaps slightly deeper. It has rancio, dunnage warehouse, old books on a shelf, slightly mouldy, a butt, after it has been emptied of its sherry, and after dust has had time to settle in. Bung cloth and blotting paper full of ink soon enter the scene, accompanied by a sweet ouch: Demerara sugar. Mouth: soft and warm, the palate has wood and varnish, caramelised muscovado sugar, butterscotch, fudge, a dash of resin and black tea leaves in a box. Finish: the sherry notes turn drier, here, with cocoa powder, dark-chocolate dust, cake crust. The chocolate clearly dominates, which is good news for tOMoH, but is a little one-dimensional. Scratching the surface, one can also detect ground Brazil nuts, mince pie, Madeira wine (to hear the rollers thunder on a shore that isn't mine -- for those who know), snus and peppermint, or After Eight chocolate thins. Another winner, but I prefer the first one. 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, Arribba)

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