Strathisla 18 Years Old

This Strathisla, an official release, an 18 year old from 2005 and bottled at 48%. Just 750 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 in Oloroso sherry laid dried fruit over the honeyed malt. By this age the rich spirit rounds into honey, ripe pear and a nutty depth. Decades in oak build a waxy, honeyed depth over the fruity spirit. The make leans rich and fruity, fuller than the lighter Speyside style. Few distilleries can claim an unbroken run of distilling as long as Strathisla's.

At a hearty 48% it carries real weight. The Oloroso lends raisin, fig and toasted nuts, and 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.