Whisky: Strathisla 9 Year (2010), Hart Brothers

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 53.8%

Cask: First Fill Armagnac Butt

Age: 9 Years (Distilled Nov. 2010, Bottled June 2020)

Nose: Fruit, bubblegum, malty sugars, tinned pineapple and peach, spirited, mildly herbal with time.

Palate:  Medium-bodied, sweet, spirited, fruity, grape, bubblegum, mild nuttiness, praline, with time chocolate and almond flour.

Finish: Medium-length and drying with fruit and almond.

Score: 5-6

Mental Image: Candyland Dark Site

Narrative & Notes: On the nose were American breakfast cereals— Froot Loops and all sorts of vaguely fruit-flavored circles, flakes, and pebbles. Occasional hints of bubble gum yielded to malted milk balls, blue vanilla syrup, and fruit cups of pineapples or peaches in syrup. There were moments of spirited prickle, but the dram settled with time (lots of it or a few drops of water to speed things up). An intriguing herbal quality that varied between mint, thyme, and eucalyptus developed with time. The palate was medium-bodied, sweet, and initially prickly with spirit. Tinned pineapple and guava took center stage with red grapes and bubblegum arriving late. An underlying fruity-nutty quality that reminded me of almond extract developed with praline toward the back end. Water brought out more chocolate and a drying almond flour at the end. The finish was medium-length with fruit and almond.

I found this improved quite a bit with water. A few drops smoothed out some of the rough edges and brought a bit of chocolate to the fruity, though slightly artificial, flavor profile. Without water, I was tempted to score this a four, so those few drops were worth a 1-2 point increase in the overall experience.

I am not entirely sure why I took this sample from a friend. It was not the kind of malt I would usually go for, though maybe that is why I asked for it. This whisky was unmistakably young and spirited, perhaps a bit much for my taste, though I otherwise quite enjoy young fruity malts. The Armagnac cask influence was all over this malt and occasionally gave off bubblegum notes that I found a bit artificial and unpleasant. This was hardly the worst “yak” whisky maturation I have tried, but it brought back memories of drams I found much less pleasant— not an association I want a dram to make.

Image Credit: Whiskybase