In the past five years or so, I’ve had merely four Littlemill bottlings, plus the one we’ll try today. Three of them (maybe four) were bottled by The Whisky Agency in their yearly (Whisky Fair related) bottlings.
It is a Littlemill 1989, similar to the one bottled in 2019, at a fairly high strength of 55.2¨% ABV.
Littlemill 32 yo 1989 (55,2%, The Whisky Agency 2022, hogshead, 216 btl.)
Nose: as expected, quite a fruit bomb. That means juicy mango, ladyfinger banana, lime and maracuja. Then some frangipani flower and jasmine. Orange zest in the background. Underneath there is a slightly waxy / chalky note, a hint of custard and wee herbal notes. Later a hint of mint and grass in the summer too. Lovely.
Mouth: a lovely mix of fruit juice and mint. Very sweet, with the classic mango and passion fruit but also quinces, mashed bananas and papaya. Then the mint moves towards other herbs and a zesty / chalky note. Some greener touches towards the end. Cream soda with lime.
Finish: long, on tropical fruits, cirtus, floral notes and a hint of green oak.
We miss this profile. The nose offers plenty of tropical fruits – it’s rich and seductive. More sweet fruits on the palate, albeit with a greener / chalkier edge. To sum up, very harmonious and so easy to drink!