Tasting 4 Strathisla, one older and 3 young strong ones

These 3 young and one older whiskies will be followed by 4 older ones later on. Time to see the difference between older and more modern distillate from Strathisla? Nothing distilled on this side of the millennium anyway.






Strathisla 28yo 1976-2004 45% Samaroli cask#3480

The biggest source for older Strathisla these days are Gordon & Macphail. They've had a lot of 40 and more year olds in the past couple of years. We don't see many Samaroli bottlings these days. Let's hope they'll make a rebound on the market soon. The color on this one is amber/orange. It smells of wheat, onions, licorice, hay, burnt notes, eraser, burnt oak, blueberries, blue cheese, coffee, cocoa. The taste is very light, tea, linseed oil, cucumbers, pickled apples, tannic, caramel, white wine, wine gum, not far from some older Chivas Regals actually.

Not a demanding malt, hardly complex, but easily enjoyable: 6


Strathisla 12yo 1989-2002 61.3% Blackadder Raw Cask cask#9411

From a sherry cask. The color is white wine, very pale, perhaps from a fino cask? A fair amount of cask sediments as well. It smells of leather, tobacco, vanilla, eucalyptus, mint, phenols, dark grapes, very fresh and clean. I'd say its certainly one of the better noses I've had without being too oak-driven. The taste is white pepper, metallic, grape seeds, cinnamon, vanilla, grassy, this clean, good, fun, absolutely superb whisky in its right element. But put it together with something just a bit spicy or smoky and it'll fall through.

I'm a bit torn here, its quaffable and fun, but how enjoyable is it?: 8


Strathisla 14yo 1989-2004 62.8% Blackadder Raw Cask cask#9413

From a sherry hogshead, jut one cask apart from neighboring the 61.3%. The color is amber brown, once again with a good amount of cask sediments. From another type of sherry cask? It smells of charcoal, peat, butter, garlic, celery, dried apples, fruit gum, phenolic, rubbery. The taste is perfectly meaty, thick, peppery, beetroot, wildflowers, honey, butter, mashed potatoes, strawberries, nutty, lemon rind, spicy cinnamon. This is super, I wonder why there are not many more young CS Strathislaes around.

Great whisky, and surely at an affordable price: 9


Strathisla 7yo 1989-1997 64.5% Clydesdale cask#9408

Once again from a nearby cask to the other 1989's in this session. I do however not know what kind of cask is used here. The color is matte golden. It smells of sawdust, floral notes, bananas, banana liqueur, vanilla, peppermint, fresh, melon, jackfruit, sweet and fruity. Suggests more maturity than 7 years. The taste is peppery, smoky, ripe red apples, onion, malty, wheat, pineapple, sweet'n'sour, lemonade. Long and peppery finish with notes of iced sugar, honey and tortilla chips. How good are these young Strathislas?

Certainly some active casks from 1989 at Strathisla: 8



Next tasting: Longmorn Distillery