Review by: Raygun

A group of us put together a little homemade Advent calendar. Been a while since Christmas, but life happens. Have a few reviews from that collection to organize and post. Here’s one. 

Not had much Littlemill, which closed down in 1996. In fact, this one doubles my total Littlemill count to 2. This particular bottling was done to celebrate the marriage of Prince William to Kate Middleton. Not being a particular fan of the royal family, that doesn’t move the needle for me. Hart Brothers has always been a mid-tier bottler to me; not one I’m very excited about. Let’s see how this one is. Initially sampled blind, with later additions in italics. Reviewed from a sample. Rested about 15 minutes.

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Distillery: Littlemill   

Bottler: Hart Brothers

Region/style: Lowlands single malt Scotch  

ABV: 46%.  

Age: 20 years. 

Cask type: Not stated, but I would bet bourbon.

Color: 1.2 chestnut. Natural color and non-chillfiltered.

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Nose: Reminds me of Armagnac. Grapes and blackberries; very bramble-y in fact. Prunes, black tea. Nose: Whoa. This is something. Rich caramel, old furniture that’s been freshly waxed, a little anise, and cookies. Like a spiced biscotti. I can sniff this for a long while. Mostly confirms my initial impression: lots of spice and furniture wax. Little bit of passion fruit.     

Palate: Tastes rich and pretty old. Caramel-dipped Italian cookies, oak floors, a taste of chocolate mint. Nice waxy feel to it. There’s some spice that comes out with time. Some coriander, anise, and maybe cardamom. Got a little tingle to it. Does really well with a few drops of water. Now I get some fruit I didn’t get the first time. Passion fruit, mango (underripe), lemon. Nicely spicy still.

Finish: Minimal heat to it. Drinks easily, but it lasts. Caramel, anise, coriander, wood shop, thyme. Some sandalwood. A touch harsh and tannic here. Tannic and oaky, but now I wouldn’t say harsh. Get some of the tropical fruit still, and more floor wax. A touch of cream, too.

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Conclusion: So damn good. I can’t compare it too well to the other Littlemill I tried, but there’s definite overlap in the notes, passion fruit and citrus in particular. This one has stronger oak and concomitant spice flavors; maybe it was a first-fill cask. Hart Brothers chose not to say. I love passion fruit, so yeah, this hits. I hate to become a big fan of closed distilleries for obvious reasons, but so far Littlemill has a great track record. 

Score: 91

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky. (Convalmore 36)
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1)
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Ledaig 13 Amontillado)
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Tomatin 18)
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Glen Scotia 15)
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Aultmore 12)
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Glenmorangie 10)
• 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Pulteney 12)
• 0-49: Blech. (Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16)