“About Toffee, Perfume and Whisky”
Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside
Brand: Strathisla
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 12 Years
ABV: 40 %
Strathisla in the Rain!
Colour: Copper
Nose: Sweet, Fruity, Malty and Floral with Barley, Warm Berries, Banana, Warm Apple Pie, Honey, Dried Fruit, Caramel, Nuts, Buttered Toast, Straw, Charred Oak, Sweet Sherry, Lemon Grass and hints of Smoke and Pralines filled with Cherry Liqueur. The Alcohol is nicely integrated. If anything, it's a bit on the heavy side. The Nose of the Strathisla 12 could do with a bit more balance.
Very Picturesque!
Palate: Sweet, Floral and Malty with Barley, Honey, Orange, Dried Apricot, Pear, Raspberry Jam, Toffee/Caramel, Nuts, Oak, Perfume, very light Spices, Sherry and Dried Fruits. Limited (Refill) Cask Influence.
Wash Backs at Strathisla!
Finish: Almost a Spiced Toffee! Middle-Long and quite Sweet with Caramel, light Vanilla, Nuts, Sherry, Oak and Spices.
The Stills at Strathisla!
With a couple of drops of water the Nose gets additional Flowery Notes and it's almost like a Perfume. More Malt and Fruit as well. The Palate gets more Floral notes. You could almost imagine selling this Strathisla as a lady's Perfume!
Rating: 83
Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 20.5 - Overall: 20.5
Spirit Safe at Strathisla!
General Remarks: The 12 Years is the basic Distillery expression and matured in a mix of Ex-Bourbon and Ex-Sherry Casks. It's coloured with Caramel and Chill-Filtered. In 2013 the old packaging and bottle were replaced by a more modern looking ensemble. Personally I preferred the old bottle. At the same time the ABV was lowered from 43 to 40% and that's almost a crime in my book. There should be a law that would require an ABV of at least 43 but preferably 46% for any Single Malt. This Strathisla is usually sold at around 50 US Dollars.
Nice View from the Garden!
Drinking Experience Neat: Good
Conclusion: I haven't tasted the older 12 Years Expression unfortunately, so I can't make any comparison. But I'm sure the Palate would benefit from an ABV of 43% as it would guarantee a stronger arrival. The 12 Years I'm tasting today is bottled at 40%. It's not a bad Single Malt but I find it to be on the Heavy Side. Too much Perfume and Toffee for my taste. I actually got a bit tired when tasting this. It's an intoxicating Spirit but not in a good way. I also feel that Wood Management did not get the highest attention. The Strathisla is highly drinkable but if you are a Chivas Fan I would stick with the 18 years!
The Royal Salute Vault at Strathisla!
Some Data: Strathisla means Valley of the River Isla. The Distillery is located at Seafield Avenue in the centre of the city of Keith, Banffshire. Strathisla is one of the oldest distilleries in the Highlands and when you arrive it's like you're going back to another place and time. Beautiful location as well! It was founded in 1786 by Alexander Milne and George Taylor. Initially it was called Milltown and, later, Milton. Only in 1951 the name changed to Strathisla. Since 2001 it is fully owned by Pernod Ricard from France. The Distillery possesses a stainless steel Mash Tun, 10 Wash Backs (Oregon Pine) and 2 Pairs of Stills. In 2013 their production capacity amounted to around 2,4 million litres, sold as Single Malt but mostly as part of the Chivas Regal Blends.
The water for the distillery is sourced from the Fons Bulliens Well. The Distillery opens from Monday - Saturday from 09.30 to 16.00 hours (Easter-October) and from Monday to Friday from 9.30 to 12.30 and 13.30 to 16.00 (November and December).
Casks at Strathisla!
We visited Strathisla (The Heart of Chivas Regal) on Sunday May 25, 2014. Unfortunately it was a very rainy day again. First we had a look at the very nice Visitor Centre and the Shop. We then did the Standard Tour at 5 Pounds per person. The tour was okay. At the end of it we tasted the New Make Spirit, the Chivas Regal 12, Chivas Regal 18 and the Strathisla 12 Years in the cosy Dram Room.
Jan van den Ende August 3, 2014
Here's where the story ends!
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