Strathmill
Strathmill is one of three distilleries located within the Moray town of Keith, the other two distilleries being Strathisla and Glen Keith, these other two distilleries come under the Chivas umbrella (part of the Pernod Ricard group) but rather Diageo who have owned the distillery since 1997 and have operated it for the production of blends such as J&B whisky.
The site had originally been home to a corn mill, established by A. G. Johnstone as Strathisla Mills in 1823, but following a boom in the whisky industry between 1890 and 1899 it was converted into a distillery in 1891. Some of the buildings therefore date to before its whisky production days. It was during this era of high demand that some thirty other distilleries were constructed in the area.
It was in 1895 when gin producers W. & A. Gilbey bought the distillery that the name was changed from Glenisla-Glenlivet to its current name of Strathmill, the name deriving from the Gaelic word ‘Strath’ meaning “shallow valley” and “mill” relating to its former use.
Production equipment consists of two wash stills, two spirit stills with purifiers, a 9 ton semi lauter mash tun,six stainless steel washbacks with a fermentation time varying between 65 hours and 120 hours.. There are seven warehouses on site, five traditional dunnage warehouses and two racked..
2006 – 14 Year old Strathmill – Signatory
Distillery.. Strathmill
Region.. Speyside
Distilled.. October 2006
Age.. 14 Years
Abv.. 61%
Casks.. Re-Fill Butts – Finished in 1st Fill Sherry Butt
Outturn.. 689 Bottles
Bottler.. Signatory
Nose.. Rich dates, plums and blackberry jam lead into dark chocolate and fresh coffee aromas. Candied orange with cinnamon, glace cherries, honey and tobacco leaf bring this whisky aroma to life..
Palate.. Dark chocolate leads into bitter ground coffee bean, orange rind, sticky toffee pudding and warm pecan pie with vanilla custard. Cinnamon buns fresh from the oven, peanut brittle and ginger biscuits round this whisky off.
Finish.. Spices and a little bitterness.
Thoughts.. This is both dark and moody with a side order of attitude.. First thoughts are the nose is incredible and inviting then it starts to get a little dark and thats when you dive in.. Attitude is what you get as the bitterness hits but in a good way. The spices are bold and really do showcase those dark chocolate and bitter coffee bean notes..
I really enjoyed this whisky and if like me you like your whisky with attitude and just a little bitter then you are going to love this whisky..
If you fancy a bottle then look no further than HERE..
ocdwhisky.com 