Strathisla The Distillery Reserve Collection – Cask Finished Edition 12 Years Old 2013

A distillery bottling of Strathisla, a 12 year old Speyside malt from 2013, drawn from cask 86300 and bottled at 58.1%. 360 bottles in all. Strathisla, founded in 1786 by Taylor and Milne in Keith, on the River Isla in Speyside, is the home of Chivas Regal. Founded as the Milltown distillery, it took the Strathisla name in the 19th century.

It was worked through short pot stills for a rich, fruity make, for the rich, fruity Speyside make Strathisla is known for. A Madeira cask lent raisin and a caramelised sweetness to the rich malt. At this age the spirit is fresh and fruity, the pear and honey bright. Decades in oak build a waxy, honeyed depth over the fruity spirit. Water comes from the Broomhill Spring, the distillery set on the River Isla at Keith. Scarce as an official bottling, Strathisla was long bottled mainly by Gordon and MacPhail.

At a full 58.1% it is intense yet fruity. The Madeira lends raisin and a caramelised nuttiness, and orchard fruit and a creamy honey sit alongside a quiet vanilla from the refill oak. A baked apple and a warm ginger lift it. A fruity, gently spiced finish lingers long. This is a rich Speyside malt from the home of Chivas.