Strathisla 2002 Artist #12 Legendary Distilleries Aged 20 yo

55,4°

Distillery : Strathisla - Speyside 

1st Fill Bourbon Barrel

Independent Bottling 

By La Maison du Whisky

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2022

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated

In the Legendary Distilleries 2022 range, I ask for the 20 year old. Dedicated to the little-known Strathisla distillery, this series of bottlings seeks to do it justice. After two very old expressions where the distillate was allowed to speak, here it is an ageing in a first fill Bourbon barrel. 192 bottles were produced, and adorned with a photo by Mathéo Modol. The whole range has also been awarded the Antipodes label, which means the exclusive selling from La Maison du Whisky, but apparently it is still possible to find it elsewhere abroad.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

The nose is so wide that I feel I can detect iodine. But that's just the influence of the cask, I think. Pulpy, citrusy, juicy plums, mirabelles, greengages, lemon drizzle, grapefruit juice, blood oranges. Still with that lovely woodiness and almost sweet varnish. But this time more in the background. On the palate, it's the same story, fruity but not too much so, lemon and vanilla, noble wood. Properly managed spices. The finish is long, deep and earthy, with just a few citrus hints. Sun, cereals, nuts.

 

In Short, 

Very well done, like the previous ones. The Bourbon profile blends very well with the identity of the distillery, it gives a beautiful bottling, rich and woody, fruity. The price seems extravagant to me. I wonder what La Maison du Whisky is trying to do here. In any case, it has nothing to do with the love of whisky.

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Albert Collins - If Trouble was Money