15/07/2021 Strathmill

Strathmill 23yo 1992/2015 (47.7%, A.D. Rattray Cask Collection, Bourbon Hogshead, C#668072, 280b): nose: it smells fresh, lively and young, with hay, straw and apple-cider vinegar, Chenin blanc and unripe gooseberries. In fact, it seems borderline spirit-y, which, at that venerable age, is no small surprise. Allow me to use the phrase: "it must have been a tired cask." There is an almost-sandy aspect to this, until it turns more vegetal at last, with green hazel, jasmine not quite blooming yet, and -- wait for it -- marzipan-coated bergenia. How unusual! Well, breathing does good things, if not miracles, and the initially-difficult nose does become more welcoming, after all. Phew! The second nose adds gravel into the mix, the bedrock of a clean aquarium, before fish are introduced. Mouth: dry and chewy, this is reminiscent of scented pencil erasers, or new-flip-flop soles. Surprisingly enough, that is not a bad thing. It opens up on the palate to release almond paste and cashew burfi, augmented with a few drops of royal-blue ink. Alcohol integration is optimal, and how little wood spices there are are very much under control, merely elevating the liquid from bland to pleasant. It does remain a tad rubbery, though no complaint from tOMoH on that front. The second sip witnesses a skirmish opposing gritty salt and bold sweetness, which adds another dimension. Dry raspberries appear via retro-nasal olfaction too, woo! Finish: chewy and rubbery indeed, the finish sees more of a five-spice kick, as well as ground cassia-bark and a coconut-milk thickness that rocks my boat, even if it seems totally disconnected from the nose. After a few sips, the salty/sweet fight from the mouth spills over into the finish, though here, there is no doubt sweetness wins. Sweet and acidic fruits (grapes, plums, gooseberries) point back to the vinegar from earlier, though it is more pleasant now, obviously part of a greater whole. The grapes turn drier, more Chenin blanc than Thompson, and flirt with gravel -- gravel upon which plums have been crushed, that is. 7/10