Whisky: Strathmill 13 Year (2006), Signatory Vintage Cask 2

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 61.1%

Cask: Refill Butts(12Y), First Fill Sherry Butt (10 mo.)

Age: 13 Years (Distilled 24 Oct. 2006, Bottled 21 Oct. 2020)

Nose: Stewed stone fruits, strawberry cream cheese, birthday cake frosting, pomegranate and strawberry candy, burnt matches, treacle, cassia bark, tree resin, faint candle wick.

Palate: Full-bodied, very syrupy, cherries, stewed figs, berry syrup, cinnamon sticks, brown sugar, chocolate malt, dark caramel, leather, more cream and butterscotch with water.

Finish: Long and lingering with some spirited prickle and cherry syrup.

Score: 6+

Mental Image: Grant-Funded Milkshake Study

Narrative & Notes: An intense riot of sticky fruits began the second I took the lid off my glass: stewed stone fruits bubbled away in one pot with treacle in another while cassia bark prepped to give the fruits a spicy touch. Pomegranate, strawberries, and cherry-flavored candies developed between slightly creamy notions of strawberry cream cheese and buttercream birthday cake frosting. Hints of burnt matches, tree resin, and a burning candle wick provided interesting depth. The flavor profile was full-bodied and exceptionally syrupy— the mouthfeel was thick, chewy, and sweet. An avalanche of morello cherries rolled across the palate with jammy notes of stewed figs and berries cooked down to a thick syrup. Cinnamon sticks and brown sugar on one hand, leather, dark caramel, and chocolate malt on the other— a few drops of water brought forward more cream and butterscotch, which left me thinking chocolate malt cherry milkshake! The finish was very long with a bit of spirited prickle, spice, and cherry syrup.

Not a whisky with a lot of finesse, this Strathmill was a cask-driven assault on the senses. However, there was more to this dram than just the cask as the caramel, spice, and creamy nature of the spirit rose above the sherry flood from time to time to offer important landmarks by which one could navigate. If the finish had not been a bit prickly with spirit, I would have scored this one notch higher. I do not usually care for such cask-driven whiskies, especially as they tend to be fairly shallow in flavors, but hey, if you are going to do one thing, best do it well.

Overall, an excellent mouthfeel and long finish made this an above-average sherry-bomb in my book.

Image Credit: The Whisky Exchange