Littlemill 29 Year (1988) Old Malt Cask (K&L Wines pick)

Review by: The Muskox

There’s always a fuss over closed distilleries. It’s normal whisky FOMO on steroids – “they’ll never make any more of this!” – so the distilleries are romanticized and prices and scores are jacked up accordingly. My experience has been that, while you do get the Broras and Millburns and Imperials that really are worth it, you also get Littlemill. I still haven’t tried a great one, or even a really good one. They’ve all come across as sort of nothing-blend-juice whiskies, even more bereft of flavour than modern examples. Maybe it takes 29 years for it to really get going?

Distillery: Littlemill.

Bottler: Hunter Laing.

Region: Lowlands.

ABV: 55.8%. Cask strength.

Age: 29 years. Distilled November 1988. Bottled June 2018.

Cask type: Cask #HL15208, a refill hogshead.

Price: N/A, sample.

Color: No colour added. Non-chill-filtered.

Nose: Fruity and mineral. Crushed limestone, club soda with lime. Banana and mango. Sweetened condensed milk. Some green wood. Slight sweatiness.

Palate: Medium texture. Very sweet and milky – reminds me of all those cashew and condensed milk desserts I tried in India a couple months ago. All the citrus fruits, including the cool bitterness of grapefruit. Delicate oak, cool minerals, eucalyptus, and nutmeg. Intense chalk and seashells.

Finish: Sweet and lingering milkiness and minerality. Chalky candies, violets, orange zest, banana flavour.

Conclusion: After so many weird and crappy Littlemills, I’ve finally found one I like. It’s still weird, but there’s this amazing rich milkiness, combined with citrus and minerality, that’s rather unique.

Final Score: 80.

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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