Last week I reviewed a 30 yo single malt (the 2017 release of the Talisker 30). Here now is one slightly younger. This Littlemill was distilled in 1989 and bottled in 2014 by Whiskybase for their Archives label on behalf of a Dutch whisky enthusiast group named the CasQueteers. It was one of several older Littlemills from the 1988-92 era that were bottled in the early-mid 2010s, many of the others also by Whiskybase (one of whose founders, Menno Bachess is a well-known Littlemill collector). I’ve reviewed a few of these Littlemills before, including some others distilled in 1989. Such were this 22 yo also bottled by Whiskybase, this 22 yo bottled by Glen Fahrn, and this 24 yo bottled by the Whisky Agency. And I’ve reviewed a bunch of others from 1990 too, as well as a few from 1988. What all of them have in common are the qualities that made Littlemill celebrated not when the distillery was on the go but when these accidentally aged single casks were released long after it had been demolished and the ground it had stood on plowed with sand (well, it was turned into a block of flats). Those qualities could perhaps be summed up by my description of this 24 yo on Instagram a couple of days ago: a cocktail of tropical fruit and diesel. I’ve had this bottle open for a few days now; it’s time to expand on that note.

Littlemill 24, 1989 (53%; Archives; bourbon hogshead 42; from my own bottle)

Nose: A big burst of floral and fruity notes off the top. I can’t identify the flowers but the fruit is a mix of sweet stone fruit (peaches, nectarines) and tropical fruit (mango, pineapple, kiwi); all with lashings of clover honey. The fruit gets sweeter and more intoxicating with every sniff, even as some cut grass and whiffs of diesel fumes emerge (a lawnmower going over a flower bed?). Some sweet citrus (orange) in there too now. With a few drops of water some citronella emerges and turns into lemon curd.

Palate: Comes in as advertised by the nose but with a more mineral edge. Big tropical fruit burst as I swallow (more bubblegum flavour than fresh fruit). Very approachable at full strength; rich texture. The mineral note expands with each sip and that diesel from the nose emerges here as well. Let’s see what water does for it. With water the zesty bitterness from the finish pops out earlier but it also gets milder.

Finish: Medium-long. The fruit crests and then there’s a zesty bitterness at the end along with a glassy/metallic note. After a bit there’s some white pepper as well. Mellower with water.

Comments: This is quite lovely on the nose; the only flaw is a bit too much bitterness on the finish—water fixes most of that but not entirely . But I won’t be surprised if that note eases as the bottle stays open. I’ll try to remember to report on its development.

Rating: 89 points.