Littlemill | 47 years old
The Lowland distillery of Littlemill was founded in 1772 and would be the oldest distillery in Scotland today if it were still in operation. However, it operated until 1992 before closing after 220 years, with a catastrophic fire sealing its permanent fate in 2004. It will never reopen. As a result, stocks are now dwindling with each new release and age increases on the maturing casks that remain. This has led to Littlemill becoming highly desirable and collectable.
This bottling forms part of the brand’s prestigious Vanguard Collection, which has been curated by Michael Henry – the Master Blender for brand owners Loch Lomond. Some of their rarest barrels are used here, in this case ex-bourbon casks filled in October 1976. Notes of vanilla toffee, caramel and ripe tropical fruit sit alongside further notes of mocha, stewed pear and cinnamon. Exquisite.
Longmorn | 30 years old
The Longmorn distillery sits just south of the city of Elgin in the famous Speyside region. For much of its life it has been a workhorse distillery with the primary function to provide its characterful single malt to blending houses across Scotland. Only in recent years has any effort been made by the ownership (Chivas Brothers) to establish Longmorn as a single malt brand.
The Longmorn 30 years old will become a constant in the distillery’s recently revamped core range, sitting at the pinnacle and joining the 18- and 22-year-old expressions. The idea is to release small batches annually. Notes of caramel, honey and raspberry compote mingle with ripe plum, walnut and spiced apple. This is classic long-aged Speyside that shows itself off superbly after three decades of maturation in American oak ex-bourbon hogshead casks.
Mortlach | 50 years old
The Mortlach distillery is also in Speyside and found in the town of Dufftown. It has long been regarded as a prestigious single malt, but this has been elevated further by the release of this first ever 50 years old. The whisky is taken from a single first-fill American oak ex-bourbon barrel and has been maturing at the distillery for over five decades. This spirit was distilled on the original direct-fired stills, which have long been replaced, and filled to the cask in the early 1970s.
The new whisky is the final bottling in Mortlach’s super-premium Singing Stills collection and the cask hand-selected by Dr. Craig Wilson, the Master Blender for brand owners Diageo. The whisky exhibits a heady mix of hedgerow fruits, golden syrup and milk chocolate combined with drying wood spices, Brazil nut and a pinch of cocoa powder. This is a whisky for the ages with a proper old school vibe.
To find out more about this and other distilleries, get in contact with one of the team here who can talk you through the options to invest in your own whisky cask or bottle.
