Strathisla 1963 Gordon & Macphail

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 12 Year Old (flat bottle)

The nose is much the best part of this whisky, quite a luxurious aroma, but the finish is disappointing. Nose: Butter shortbread, vanilla, a touch woody. Taste: Butter again, sherry sweetness and a creamy mouth feel. Finish: Medium length and a bit dull, some fruity notes.

Score 85/100

Strathisla 14 Year Old 2002 AD Rattray

Last year A.D. Rattray, independent bottler with HQ in Glasgow, released two sister casks from this Speysider: #100006 en #100007, both of them bourbon casks. I was able to secure a sample of the first one. The nose is rather flat, actually. Lime and hazelnuts, cold coffee and some Turkish Delight but little else. Fresh, but simple. Nicely oily...

Score 81/100

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