Strathmill 13 Year (2006) Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection

Review by: The Muskox

My resolution for the forthcoming new year is to try as many new distilleries as possible. Today’s whisky comes from one of the few still-operating distilleries in Scotland that I still haven’t tasted. True, this sherry-bomb format is terrible for finding out the character of the distillate, but I haven’t found any other Stathmills anywhere else.

Distillery: Strathmill.

Bottler: Signatory Vintage.

Region: Speyside.

ABV: 61.1%, cask strength.

Age: 13 years old. Distilled on 10/24/2006. Bottled on 10/21/2020.

Cask type: Cask #2, Refill Butts + Fresh Sherry Butt Finish.

Color: Amber. No colour added, chill-filtered.

Nose: Rich sherry. Jammy fruit, plums, Jaffa Cakes (tried them when I was in the UK!), and chocolate chip banana bread. Milk chocolate. Oily notes of walnuts and even some olive oil. Aged balsamic and shoe polish. Some floral notes of tulips and dried rose petals.

Palate: Medium-thick texture, moderate heat. Arrives richly fruity with orange sherbert, dark berry jam and cooked stonefruit. Develops to slightly burnt toffee, candied nuts, After Eights, and some fresh polished oak.

Water thickens up the texture a bit. A bit of a potpourri and prickly pear. Burnt sugar, walnuts, and more oak.

Finish: Medium-short, rather oaky. Overbrewed tea. Blueberries and pomegranate juice lift to some lighter fruit notes of orange zest and pear jam. Slightly grassy-sweet. Caramel and gristy malt. A hint of buttery olive oil.

Water adds dark chocolate and coffee.

Possible SMWS bottling name: “Purple is a fruit!”

Notes: A pretty nice sherry bomb. There’s alcohol heat, as can be expected from the proof, but it doesn’t come across that fiery. I like the mix of rich jamminess and lighter citrus/stonefruit, as well as the balance of oily and caramel. I still have no idea what Strathmill is supposed to taste like, though.

Final Score: 82.

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

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