No messing with this 13 year old Strathisla simply drawn from a refill ex-bourbon hogshead. Sweet & Spicy profile.
Nose: A combination of sweet (pears, creamy coffee and freshly baked pastries) with the herbal (sage stuffing, pine and damp mossiness). Running throughout are coconut shavings, vanilla custard and crisp cotton sheets. The addition of water brings out some gentle milk chocolate, buttery digestive biscuits and underlying earthiness. Simple, but pleasant enough.
Taste: A very creamy and silky arrival with lots of pastries and fresh bakery – buns, choux, puff and doughnuts. In the mid palate, vanilla cream, drifting into the back palate where there’s more overt oakiness. Reduction brings out some natural fruitiness – apricots and unripe bananas.
Finish: Medium with cocoa powder, grassy herbalness and some peppy spicing.
A very straight-forward but perfectly tasty Strathisla with a wonderful textural mouthfeel. Nothing jarring, nothing out of place – a solid summer sipper.