Littlemill 29 Years Old 1989 (The Whisky Agency)

The Whisky Agency, a German house, is known for its artist-drawn labels and well-chosen casks. A 29 year old Littlemill, this was distilled in 1989 and bottled in 2019. What remains is all that ever will, the distillery long since lost.

Twenty-nine years in ex-Bourbon lend a light oak frame to the fragrant Lowland character.

At 49.3%, undiluted, the American oak frames the fruit with vanilla. It carries fresh fruit, a leafy lift, a malt note, new wood, vanilla. American oak is low in tannin, so the cask works gently, hemicellulose caramelising to light toffee and lignin yielding vanilla. Decades in a damp Lowland warehouse cost roughly two percent a year, alcohol leaving faster than water, softening the strength and deepening the spirit.