Strathisla 50 Years Old 1957 Cask #1717 & 1718 (G&M)

This Strathisla was from the independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail, aged 50 year old from 1957, drawn from cask 1717 & 1718 and bottled at 43%. Strathisla was built in 1786 on the River Isla in Keith, on the River Isla in Speyside; it is the oldest continuously working distillery in the Highlands. 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. An Oloroso sherry cask wrapped the rich spirit in dried fruit and a nutty depth. Decades leave it deep and oxidative, candied fruit and beeswax with great age. Decades in oak build a waxy, honeyed depth over the fruity spirit. Short copper pot stills give the rich, full bodied make the distillery is known for.

Bottled at 43%, it is rounded. The Oloroso brings dried fruit, fig and a nutty depth, 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. Ripe pear and honey draw out the close. This is the malt of Scotland's oldest working Highland distillery.