Whisky : Littlemill 20 Year (1984), Scott’s Selection

Country/Region : Scotland/Lowland

ABV : 62.1%

Cask : Oak

Age : 20 Year (Distilled 1984, Bottled 2004)

Nose :  Fruity, floral, and tropical.  Stewed apricots with a wafting waxy fruity perfume of green apples and unripened plums.  Impression of sandalwood trees as the dram took a tropical turn and opened up.  Notes of tart unripened fruits fallen by the wayside of a hiking trail: passion fruit, green papaya, and fermenting strawberry guava.

Palate :  Medium bodied and very oily with notes of creamy tropical fruits and minerals.  Tropical fruits led the way with creamy, slightly tart passionfruit, papaya, and guava.  A lovely minerality carried through in the background along with fragrant wood.  At the backend were notes of achiote (annatto seeds) and longan fruits, also known as dragon eye, which became stronger with each sip.

Finish :  Long and lingering notes of coconut milk and longan.

Score : 8

Mental Image : Fruit under Foot

Notes : An absolutely cracking introduction to Littlemill.  If Glenburgie or Clynelish had a baby with Bladnoch, this is what I imagine it would taste like.  Littlemills closed in 1994 along with many of the other ghost Lowland distilleries that closed in the 80s.  While this dram was initially a bit hot, it opened up beautifully with a few drops of water to become even creamier and fruitier as if turning up the volume.

The fruity profile on this had some really unique notes.   I do not recall ever having a dram strike me with the fruity-floral quality of achiote on the finish.  Achiote, also known as annatto, is a criminally underrated spice and perfect for making fragrant red rice as the color of the lipstick plant seeds leech color into the cooking water.

Overall, this was excellent with a unique and very intriguing flavor profile that left me coming back for more.  Of course, as Littlemill is a ghost distillery, I doubt I will be trying any more any time soon— though maybe that is for the best, as this bottle set a very high bar.