Strathisla 18 Year

Tasted after a tour at Strathisla Distillery on May 1st, 2024; whisky #4. Smell: Reminiscent of aged polished furniture, pipe tobacco, leather automobile interiors, deep honey, sherry, malt extract, and black tea. With time, the aroma intensifies and continually expands. Taste: The initial taste is sweet and smooth, featuring dark fruits, tobacco, and red berries. It's enchanting, almost hypnotic from the first sip. As it develops, notes of fudge, vanilla, dark chocolate, and a hint of orange zest appear. Subsequently, both milk and more dark chocolate emerge, guiding the palate towards the finish. The texture is creamy, alluring, and wonderfully juicy. Aftertaste: Lingering. Pleasant oak, pipe tobacco, chocolate, and red berries, with all elements fading into a sherry and malt finish. This distillery-exclusive spirit was produced in 2005 and bottled in 2023, having been aged entirely in first-fill sherry casks. The batch yielded 750 bottles at a reduced strength of 48% alcohol by volume. This is a powerful, dominant sherry whisky that highlights the quality of fine oak casks without being overly woody. Its rich scents evoke various aspects of a dunnage warehouse filled with hogsheads, and the taste is a rich tapestry of fruit and malt. It's the kind of spirit you wish would never end. In several ways, this evoked memories of the superb pre-2016 GlenDronach 15 Revival, but this is smoother, sweeter, and fruitier. It was delightful neat and equally good with water, which subtly altered the profile without detracting from it. It tasted different when diluted, softer, but was just as enjoyable, and my preference between neat or watered would depend on the circumstances. However, I believe the ideal time for this spirit would be as a dessert drink. I was surprised to encounter this spirit during the tasting, as I wasn't aware of an official Strathisla 18 year old, even as an exclusive. The distillery representative who led the tour suggested it might become a standard offering in the future, but I wouldn't hold out much hope. Nevertheless, if it were to be released and the local price was reasonable, I would definitely acquire a bottle. Rating: "Very Good" - 87/100 (4.25 stars)