Strathisla 15 Years Old Finest Highland Malt Whisky Acquavite di Cereali (G&M) (Italy)

This is a Strathisla single malt, chosen and bottled by Gordon & MacPhail, a 15 year old. 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. It is the oldest continuously operating distillery in the Scottish Highlands.

It was worked through short pot stills for a rich, fruity make, for the rich, fruity Speyside make Strathisla is known for. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, gentle American oak beneath the fruit. Mid age brings a deeper honey and a riper orchard fruit. Years in oak round the spirit, the honey and dried fruit deepening with age. Short copper pot stills give the rich, full bodied make the distillery is known for. Keith is one of Speyside's old whisky towns, north of the Cairngorms. The distillery is a centrepiece of the Malt Whisky Trail and the home of Chivas. Gordon and MacPhail have released Strathisla vintages reaching back to the 1930s and 1950s.

On the palate it is rich and fruity. A rich, fruity sweetness meet a quiet vanilla from the refill oak. Beneath it run honey, pear and a soft spice. It closes long, honeyed and fruity. This is the fruity Speyside heart of Chivas Regal.