Strathisla 37 Years Old 1967 Licensed Bottling (G&M)

This Strathisla was from the independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail matured to 37 year old from 1967 and bottled at 40%. Strathisla, founded in 1786 by Taylor and Milne in Keith, on the River Isla in Speyside, is the home of Chivas Regal. 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. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, the wood adding a light honeyed sweetness. Past twenty five years the spirit turns honeyed and full while keeping its fruit. Decades in oak build a waxy, honeyed depth over the fruity spirit. Scarce as an official bottling, Strathisla was long bottled mainly by Gordon and MacPhail. The distillery has stood by the Isla since the reign of George III. Short copper pot stills give the rich, full bodied make the distillery is known for.

Reduced to 40%, it is mellow. 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. A fruity, gently spiced finish lingers long. This is the malt of Scotland's oldest working Highland distillery.