06/12/2025 Littlemill

Littlemill 23yo 1990/2013 (54.8%, Silver Seal, C#33, 290b, b#286): nose: the wonderful smell of custard, Madeira biscuits and ripe fruits. It starts with peaches and nectarines, and ends with kakis, papayas and mangoes. It being a Littlemill, it has a mild mineral touch, of course, closer to setting grout than to crushed Aspirin. That all plays second violin to pastry, though, fruit turnovers, choux dough, profiteroles, custard, flan. The second nose is shier: indistinct fruits bathing in chocolate milk, geraniums in a greenhouse, marzipan in the making, caramelising in the pot and sticking a bit. There is a whiff of flowers too, not sure which, and homemade gingerbread. Mouth: a nice, fruity attack brings peaches and mangoes. Five seconds on the tongue help spot caramel poured on lukewarm flan, and custard. One chew -- yes, just one -- stirs the magic pot, which triggers a bolt of mango to hit the stage. Hot on its heels are cherimoya and persimmon, ripe papaya and a drop of cherry liqueur. Those who are sensitive to it may complain about a pinch of grated Aspirin; that would be nitpicking, tOMoH says. Besides, it is closer to mocha grounds from a hot tin pot. The second sip has a slightly-more-pronounced note of Aspirin, but it remains hard to detect, overwhelmed as it is by fruits. Mango custard, baked cherimoyas, steamed papayas. It is a creamy number, overall. Finish: perfect heat and intensity. It blows up like a firecracker, then dissipates quickly to allow a myriad of tropical fruits to do a little gig. Mango, persimmon, kaki, papaya, cherimoya -- they are all here, supported by a rivulet of melted milk chocolate, or chocolate custard. It still has the minute bitterness of mocha, if not limestone dust (I believe they call it chalk). The second gulp puts more emphasis on mocha: it feels akin to a sip of lukewarm coffee into which a pinch of mocha grounds found its way. A second later, the fruit brigade has restored its own dominance. We have mango melting on the tongue, ripe peach, mushy persimmon, baked cherimoya all doused in warm pouring custard. Is it pineapple, in the back? If it is, it has come with coconut milk and chocolate in tow. Only in hindsight do I realise that the palate had grilled pineapple itself. Ha! 9/10 (Thanks for the dram JS, and thank you St Nicholas)