Littlemill 12yo 1984/1996 (43%, Signatory Vintage, Oak Casks, C#2440-41,1340b, b#404, 96/2142): nose: spirit-y, grainy, even, it has ester-y components too: dragon fruit and Korean pear, both wrapped in cellophane. The fruits become more assertive and welcome papaya in their midst, whilst the trademark Littlemill grated Aspirin grows in stature. Oh! it is not distracting, but it is there alright, crumbling like grout disintegrating between tiles. It then adopts a gentle hairy aspect, either a short-haired rug, or a pony's after grooming. We come back to fruits, now peaches worked into (blue) plasticine. The second nose fuses all that and the result is closer to lime and pomelo zest than anything else. Fragrant and promising to be bitter, it will inject some acidity too. At a push, one could detect pineapple chunks so unripe they are green. Mouth: a waxy entry that is not shy about its dilution. Without feeling weak, its clearly states its righteous place as a starter. Plasticine and waxy nectarines, a drop of ink, kumquats. Chewing adds apricot nectar peppered with crushed Aspirin and fruit-scented candlesticks. It has a lick of paraffin reminiscent of an unlit candle wick too, and blackberries and gooseberries lurk about. The second sip is juicier and sweeter, as if a pile of caster sugar had suddenly found its way into the fruit juice. We can definitely taste apricots, bergamots too, now, unripe papayas, calamansis, and a mint drop to elevate all that (you know the one; they come in a tube). Finish: a little green, it coats Mirabelle plums in milk chocolate. It also has dried apricots, stewed in a very-mild curry, and smoked kumquats. An extremely-vague grassiness tickles the sides of the tongue, while the centre sees pomelo zest and pomelo yoghurt, fruity, creamy and a trifle bitter. The second gulp seems more straightforward. It sees mint drops, lime zest and a pinch of grated Aspirin all added to smashed peach flesh that is a little too dry to be at its best. Nevertheless, this works a treat. 8/10
Littlemill 20yo 1984/2004 (46%, Hart Brothers Finest Collection): nose: clearly related, this one has a major distinction: a strong plastic note! Warm plastic buckets, warm plastic bottles, oilcloth in the sun. Beside are yellow fruits, crushed Aspirin and a dash of chocolate milk. Deeper nosing pulls something else to the surface and it does not seem to know whether to be green-grape juice or weak black coffee. Instead of opening up over time to reveal more fruits, it rallies around plastic and oilskins. It is original, if nothing else. There is a mild decay too, perhaps cured ham that really should have been finished a while ago. The second nose pushes a minty custard, ripe with smashed nectarines and white peaches. Plastic is still there, but it is limited to a watering can and a pair of wellies. Peach skins and sherbet show up on the late tip. Mouth: mellow enough, it has a generous dose of grated Aspirin in a lovely plum juice that does not see it coming. Fortunately, it is sweet enough on the sides of the tongue to overlook the Aspirin bitterness. Chewing swaps Aspirin for Aspirin Junior or a candy necklace, chalky, but also sweet(ened) and strawberry-flavoured. More-insistent chewing unearths Parma violet, or berry-flavoured cough drops. The second sip is bitterer. Alka Seltzer and its residue in an empty glass replace fruity Aspirin, and it takes some furious chewing to revive any fruitiness, really. Canary melon is quickly overtaken by lemons and calamansis coated in Alka Seltzer, and olive oil. Finish: warming, it shines brightly, if not for long. Blackcurrant cough drops, a smidge of menthol and unripe myrtles skedaddle in a cloud of chalk dust. All that is left is a lukewarm sensation on the roof of the mouth. It is otherwise quite short. The second gulp is harder. It feels very much like drinking Alka Seltzer, chalky and bitter. It even has the taste of the blister pack they came in -- aluminium. A nectarine larks about (in a nectarine fashion) in the very-long run, too little too late to make me love this. Unexpectedly weaker than the Signatory bottling. 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, JS)
Littlemill 39yo 1977/2016 (42.5%, Cadenhead Cask Ends, Bourbon Hogshead): it is hard to accept that ten years have passed since we tried this. Nose: phwoar! No Aspirin here, but jelly caps, almost unnoticeable behind heaps of fruits. Cherimoya, papaya, peach, persimmon, chikoo, plum, greengage, and a drop of ink. It has a minor vegetal touch, unripe gooseberries and the bush they grew in. As a great surprise, it turns out those fruits are travelling to the market in a sack made of humid bandages, and it is raining mercurochrome on the way. A medicinal Littlemill? It would appear so! The second nose has lukewarm milk chocolate blended with water that was used to clean brushes after a watercolouring session. That may well be elevated by a dash of cranberry juice. Chalky medicine tablets observe from a distance, but never dip their feet. Mouth: boldly fruity from the off, it bathes the tongue in peach nectar (the texture as much as the taste) and parades its goods -- persimmon, peach, nectarine, cherimoya, chikoo, papaya, physalis. Chewing adds pineapple and a scented pencil eraser. Indeed, it has a pleasant rubbery bitterness that flirts with the medical function, yet no chalk, meaning no Aspirin. More ink at second sip, though it merely reintroduces cherimoya. Riding on its coattails are cloudberries, alpine strawberries, white currants, Rainier cherries, apricots and cranberries all sprayed with chocolate milk and served with a milky walnut spread. Finish: chocolate custard and hazelnut spread signal quite a departure from the nose and palate. It is at once creamy and bitter, nutty and sweet. If it is not devoid of all fruits, they are more sparse, cherimoya still the main actor, with support from chikoo and longan. It feels more potent at second gulp, more milky, and it adds chestnut purée to the mix, strangely augmented with a crushed mint leaf. Retro-nasal olfaction detects pineapple purée, something that would be at home in a chou à la crème, or an éclair with a walnut glazing instead of chocolate (of course, it exists!) Indisputable winner of the day. Superb. Also entirely different from what I wrote down in our first encounter. 9/10 (Thanks for the sample, EG)
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