Alright, after two Armagnacs in a row (here and here), let’s get back to single malt Scotch whisky. And after four reviews of whisky samples let’s get back to the business of opening and finishing bottles I’ve been hanging on to for a very long time. Today I have for you a Littlemill that has been on my shelves for almost a decade. This is a 24 year old bottled by the German outfit, Alambic Classique in 2015 from an oloroso sherry cask. There were 295 bottles released, which is too small a number for a regulation sherry butt and just a bit too high for a hogshead after 24 hours. Maybe a butt split with someone else? Or was some of it held back for a later release? I’m not sure—if you know more, please write in below. Anyway, this was another of the many casks of late 1980s, early 1990s Littlemill that were released in the early-mid 2010s and which were key to the rehabilitation of the reputation of the distillery. The distillery, of course, had long been closed by then; indeed, what was left of the distillery was destroyed by a fire in 2004. So this improvement to its reputation has not been damaged again by official releases the owners might have continued to put out. Anyway, let’s see what this one is like.

Littlemill 24, 1990 (54.2%; Alambic Classique; oloroso sherry cask; from my own bottle)

Nose: Rich sherry off the top (walnuts, dried orange peel, toffee) and a big hit of fruit right below it (apricot jam, figs, marmalade). On the second sniff there’s some powdered ginger, a hint of rubber gasket and a mineral sharpness (very Ben Nevis in fact). Some floral sweetness after that. With time it’s the non-fruity notes that dominate here as well. A few drops of water brighten it up and pull out fresh citrus (lime and orange)

Palate: Comes in as on the nose with the nuts and orange peel leading the way and then the big dose of sweeter fruit. Very approachable at full strength with rich texture. With time the sherry separation from the finish shows up earlier and there’s more of the nutty sherry than the exuberant fruit. With time the sweetness moves from fruit to brown sugar. Let’s see what water does for it. As on the nose, it pulls out brighter fruit.

Finish: Long. A bit of sherry separation at first but it soon resolves. The mineral notes and powdered ginger from the nose show up again here along with some roasted malt. The roasted malt expands with time. As on the nose and palate with water at first; then there’s a fair bit of brown sugar at the end.

Notes: These notes are taken from my fourth pour from the bottle. The first couple of pours were more spirity. There’s more balance now but I have a feeling it will continue to evolve over the next few pours and weeks. I hope the fruit will expand further (there’s already more of it than when the bottle was first opened). I will report back if there are changes of note.

Rating: 88 points.