Littlemill 27 Years Old The Whisky Agency 52.3% 1992

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Serge Valentin (91)

Colour: light gold. Nose: grass, olive oil and ripe garden fruits. Pitch perfect and very enchanting. Indeed, it really seems to double down on this extremely elegant and slick olive oil profile. Blind you could also be forgiven for saying an early 90s Bushmills or Cooley. These vintages of Littlemill often speak with an Irish accent I find. Some further hints of nettles, aloe vera and New Zealand sauvignon blanc. Great stuff! With water: now we are really getting towards a pretty punchy and vivid grassiness. Nettles, vine leaves, salad dressing, wine must, putty and white stone fruits. Mouth: superb arrival on punchy white pepper, cut grass, chopped green herbs, lime zest, lemon barley water, vapour rubs, chalk and lemongrass. The fruits are in there but they are restrained, nicely bitter and with a sharpness and clarity that once again would suggest some kind of nicely acidic sauvignon blanc. A scattering of crisp cereals too. With water: wonderfully thick and oily now, big juicy fruits, cereals, cooking oils, bitter herbs, expensive tonic water, juniper, mirabelle eau de vie, tarragon - really becomes quite complex. Finish: good length, getting more herbal, waxed lemon peel, perfectly bitter. Comments: Yet another terrific Littlemill from these latter day vintages. Really has something akin to these Irish malts of the same era. There’s a knife-edge balance between grassiness, bitterness and fruitiness going on here which is wonderfully compelling.

Whisky Notes (91)

Nose: perhaps a little closed at first. Starts mostly on grassy notes, a bit of menthol and grapefruit skins. Carbon paper and ink. Some nice hints of paraffin. After some breathing it turns towards vanilla and warm fruits, like bananas, Muscat grape and melons. Lovely style but patience is required.

Mouth: oh yes, the lovely fruity side is bigger now, both warm and bright and the same time. Kiwi and lime, a little guava and sweet grapefruit. Mixed with a balanced mentholated note. Also waxy and almondy notes, as well as light herbal touches. Old style Lowlands.

Finish: medium long, with fruity echoes and candle wax but also some grassier hints of tea and oak.

Pretty great. Littlemill has a bigger reputation, which means it comes with a heftier price tag (around € 440). In my book the Ben Nevis is a real no-brainer, this may need more deliberation but in any case the quality is high.

BOW (91)