Littlemill
Littlemill was the first proven licensed distillery believed to date back to 1772, classed as a lowland malt this distillery is now long gone..
The original license is believed to have been granted by the justice of the peace on the 2nd November 1773 to Robert Muir of Littlemiln in order to produce and retail Ale, beer and other excisable liquors.
Littlemill was also one of the first distilleries to have a license granted to a female.. Jane MacGregor who in 1823 worked under the ownership of Mathew Clark and company..
The distillery closed its doors in 1929 before being bought by Duncan Thomas who re opened littlemill in 1931 and brought in new technologies.. The use of a Saladin box and a kiln feeding two towers along with rectifying colours instead of the traditional swan necks.. He also changed from the traditional tripple distillation to double..
The distillery finally closed its doors in 1996 and was dismantled in 1997 with the final chapter being a fire which destroyed most of what was left in 2006..
Littlemill 25 year old – Private Edition
Distillery.. Littlemill
Region.. Lowland
Age.. 25 years
Abv.. 50.4%
Casks.. American and European oak – Finished in First Fill Oloroso Sherry butts
Closed Distillery..
Nose.. Gentle spices mingle with dates, raisins and plum jam.. A hit of chocolate, coffee grinds, liquorice and a subtle hit of tobacco leaf mixes nicely with an earthy Manuka honey aroma.. A soft hint of Vanilla soon develops into full on Madagascan vanilla with a butterscotch twist and pear drop sweets. After some time a candy floss aroma starts to develop and it becomes more bourbon dominant with an emphasis on the sweeter notes..
Palate.. Peppery with a real twist of oak and that earthy Manuka honey, along with some of that plum jam and a dash of orange marmalade, roasted chestnuts, rich toffee and a splash of espresso coffee..
Finish.. along and elegant.
Thoughts.. This whisky is so interchangeable and at times it surprises you with a real left field aroma or flavour..
The balance is perfect and the complexity deep, while with every nose or sip it develops it still remains true to the original dna..
With thanks to Ibon from the Loch Lomond Group for this sample..
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