Review by: The Muskox

Round two at The Feathers with Quaker0ats. Well, actually round three, since he and I started off with a glass of my favourite ’79 Imperial (did I underrate that somehow?). I’ve had, uh, one Strathisla so far, but it was good enough that I’m interested in trying more. That’s despite the fact that it might have been the cask that endeared me to that first one, rather than the spirit.

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Distillery: Strathisla.

Bottler: Douglas Laing.

Region: Speyside.

ABV: 50%.

Age: 10 years. Distilled in June 1989. Bottled in February 2000.

Cask type: “Oak cask”.

Price: N/A. $15 CAD for a pour at the bar.

Color: Light gold. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Greenish-fresh. White grapes and grass. Banana muffins and salted butter. Nutty notes of flax and sesame seeds. Graphite and wet parchment.

Palate: Thick texture. Arrives sweet and nutty. The grapes and banana from the nose are joined by more tart flavours of lemon and underripe pineapple. Develops to rich malt, then strong oak, overbrewed tea, slate, and some star anise. Orange and brown sugar on the back end.

Finish: Medium-length. A little vanilla here for the first time. Softened butter on toast. Cut grass. Walnuts.

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Possible SMWS bottling name: “Monkey bread tree sapling”

Conclusion: It’s rather young and fresh, but it’s solid. Decent complexity, not too much spiritiness, and good buttery flavours. It pales in comparison to the other Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask bottlings I’ve had lately, but that’s not fair to this at all.

Final Score: 80.

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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.