Gordon & MacPhail have the largest collection of old Strathisla casks, no doubt about that. Most of them seem to be ex-sherry casks, but this is a bourbon matured Strathisla.

Strathisla 49 yo 1960 (53,2%, Gordon & MacPhail for The Whisky Fair 2010, Book of Kells)

Nose: wow, great start packed with aromas. Sweet notes of honey, apricot marmalade and dates. Lovely. Almonds. Orange peel. Balsam and pollen. A bit of pine wood. There’s also a superb “un-freshness” to it: old cellars with whiffs of diesel. Works perfectly here. Outstanding complexity. Mouth: oily and oaky. Dried herbs. Bitter oranges and liquorice. Quite some resin again. Walnuts. Just enough fruit to stay interesting, but certainly less complex than on the nose. Also a faint phenolic / tarry edge which gets stronger when you add water. Its minty side is amplified as well. Finish: long with oak and oranges.

An excellent Strathisla that is worth discovering if you have a chance. The oakiness is pretty well controlled for a 50 year-old (well, almost 50…) and the dusty elements make it really worthwile. Sold out – worth around € 300.

Score: 92/100

Strathisla 48 yo 1963 (51,8%,
Gordon & MacPhail for The Whisky Fair,
Book of Kells, first fill sherry butt #576)

Nose: the first thing that struck me is a wonderful “green” herbalness. Not the most common herbs, but cardamom, parsley, dill. Cough syrup. At times it reminded me more of old rum (more specifically the Long Pond 1941 cask #76 by G&M) than of old whisky, but after a while it changes and comes back to typical sherried whisky aromas: dried fruits, old leather with a faint meaty note. Wax. Mineral notes. A little mint sauce. Mushrooms. Dusty cedar wood. But all very subtle. Impressive complexity and difficult to express in words. Mouth: beautiful sherry influence, dried apricots, resin, hints of forest fruits and raspberries. Almonds. Quite dry but no prominent herbal notes this time. A little cocoa. Oranges. Nicely balanced oak and intense fruits. Finish: dry, long, with spices, liquorice, faint nutty notes and lingering dried fruits.

Strahisla is the champion when it comes to extremely long maturation, and Gordon & MacPhail have the best casks. Nice selection, even better than the 1960 bottled last year!
€ 300 is a heavy price, but worth it in my opinion.

Score: 93/100

ps/ some other people thought the nose was a slight setback,
so be sure to form your own opinion.

Strathisla 40yo 1967 
(50%, Gordon & MacPhail for La Maison du Whisky 2007, cask #6112, 400 btl.)

Nose: very different – fruity but more dried fruits than the Whisky Agency bottling. Dates, figs, some tangerine. Less sweet, much more resinous (fir needles) with a few earthy notes as well (forests, cellars). Reminds me of some kinds of toilet spray (sorry, I guess we have high-end sprays at home?). Leather. Mouth: very spicy, again lots of oak influence. Some pepper, ginger, liquorice. More fruit in the aftertaste (soft peach). Finish: sweet and fruity, apricots and pears.

The amount of oak in this Strathisla for LMdW is probably on the same level as in the Strathisla for Whisky Agency, but this one has a more interesting evolution and regains its fruitiness in the finish. Good complexity, but not the cracker I expected. Still available if you look around. Actual price: € 235.

Score: 89/100

Strathisla 42yo 1967 (44,5%, Whisky Agency 2009, Fossils series, 120 btl.)

Nose: very elegant. A soft fruit salad (plums) with hints of almonds (marzipan). Walnuts and honey. Slightly leathery. After a while, it shows a ‘green’ edge, with hints of green pine cones or very unripe fruits. Fresh herbs. Impressive and uncommon at the same time. Mouth: big oakiness, over-infused tea, some spices and liquorice. A bit of menthol. The fruit is completely overtaken by the wood now, which is a shame. Finish: not too long, on spicy oak and tea again. A fairly dry end. 

Although Strathisla is known to take age better than usual, 42 years is still a lot. If you don’t mind the obvious oak, go for it. A lot to say after so many years, but certainly not perfect. Around € 200.

Score: 86/100

Would you believe this is the most recent Strathisla I’ve made notes of?
All the others were 1960’s distillation.

Strathisla 40 yo 1970 (59,6%, Malts of Scotland & The Whisky Agency 2011, sherry hogshead, 109 btl.)

Nose: very intense oloroso aromas. Dried fruits (raisins and figs) and liquorice. A hint of cherry liqueur. Fruit jams. Melon with Port. After a while it shows more nutty notes and some tobacco. Some butterscotch and cigar boxes. Clean and quite excellent: heavy sherry the way it should be. Mouth: lots of oomph and very concentrated. Water required! Still big, with plenty of dried fruits, some herbal notes and resin. Liquorice and walnut liqueur. Prunes. Dark chocolate. A little cough syrup. A rather ‘dark’ palate. A dry mouthfeel overall but it shows lovely jammy flavours towards the end. Finish: very long, with the same dark and dry sherry theme.

This kind of sherry can only be expected of Strathisla and a handful of other distilleries like GlenDronach. Very good but quite expensive as well. Around € 300.

Score: 90/100