Strathisla 10 Years Old 2012 Cask #209668 (LMDW)

This Strathisla was from the independent bottler La Maison du Whisky, aged 10 year old from 2012, drawn from cask 209668 and bottled at 62.2%. Just 210 bottles were filled. Strathisla was opened in 1786 in Keith, on the River Isla in Speyside, and its twin pagodas make it one of Scotch's most photographed distilleries. Its twin pagodas and water wheel make it one of the prettiest distilleries in Scotland.

It was worked through short pot stills for a rich, fruity make, for the rich, fruity Speyside make Strathisla is known for. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, with vanilla under the orchard fruit. Still young, the malt is honeyed and fruity with a creamy lift. Decades in oak build a waxy, honeyed depth over the fruity spirit. Dunnage warehouses on site give a slow, humid maturation by the river. The make leans rich and fruity, fuller than the lighter Speyside style.

At 62.2%, undiluted, it is deep and honeyed. Ripe orchard fruit and a gentle ginger sit alongside a quiet vanilla from the refill oak. It is rounded and full, the fruity spirit shining through. It closes long, honeyed and fruity. This is the malt of Scotland's oldest working Highland distillery.