Littlemill 25 Years Old 1991 Cask #DL 11789 (XOP)

Douglas Laing has bottled single casks from its Glasgow base since Fred Laing founded the firm in 1948. Distilled in 1991, this 25 year old Littlemill, from cask DL 11789 was bottled in 2017. As the last casks are bottled, Littlemill grows scarcer with every release.

Twenty-five years in ex-Bourbon lend a light oak frame to Littlemill's gentle Lowland character.

At 50.9%, undiluted, a vanilla sweetness comes from the bourbon cask. It carries chocolate, dried fruit, fresh fruit, a savoury edge, a leafy lift, a sherried character. American oak is low in tannin, so the cask works gently, hemicellulose caramelising to light toffee and lignin yielding vanilla. A quarter-century and more of angel's share has slowly lowered the strength, the humid warehouse favouring alcohol over water.