Scotch Whisky Review #449: Scott’s Selection Littlemill (1984)

Image Credit: Whiskery Turnip, his review can be found here.

Distillery: Littlemill.

Bottler: Scott’s Selection.

Region: Lowland.

Age: Distilled in 1994 and bottled in 2004.

ABV: 62.1% Cask Strength.

Color: 1.1, Burnished.

This dram is the twenty-fourth of 2022’s Christmas Countdown! Whiskies from previous years can be found here.

Every year, I look at the advent calendar offerings that pop up across the pond and think that it would be super cool to do something like that (it is actually the inspiration for my review spree in December). Turns out, I wasn’t the only one who wanted to do one so between /u/federalagents, /u/DangerousDoorknob, and I we put our own together! This is the twenty-third dram of the calendar.

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Nose: There is a lot going on here and I’m not sure I can unpack it all. It is a bit floral, a bit earthy, a bit fruity, and a bit funky. Crystallized ginger, pomelo, dragonfruit, and a floral tea of some sort with wild honey are what stand out but there is certainly more going on that I haven’t quite nailed down.

Palate: My first reaction was “whoa this is a bit different”. There are floral and earthy notes galore. Various floral teas loaded up with honey dominate with chamomile, rose, jasmine, butterfly pea teas coming to mind. The earthy bit has a some herbal funk. I’m reminded a little bit of steamed lotus root as well as a wild honey with that slightly dirty note you can sometimes get. Being bottled at 62.1% ABV, this certainly does need a bit of water but not as much as expected.

Finish: At first it is fairly drying and fairly short with a berry jam note that just skips on by. About halfway through the dram, the finish seems to get a lot longer with a persimmon note joining the jam.

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Conclusion: I can’t say I’ve been the biggest fan of Lowland style whiskies, often I’ve found them to be quite simple, so I was a curious yet cautious about this Littlemill. I have to say, my concerns were certainly misplaced. This Littlemill was full of flavor, including so much I couldn’t quite figure out in the nose. The palate kept you guessing with a different floral tea note popping up with seemingly every sip and a bit of earthiness to keep you on your toes when you thought you’d gotten the tea down. The little fruit in the finish wraps things up nicely, giving it an extra dimension that might have otherwise felt missing. Great whisky through and through!

Final Score: 92.

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Scotch Whisky Review #449, Lowland Review #16, Whisky Network Review #606

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Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky and I will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection if feasible.
• 85-89: Very good to amazing, almost the complete product and I’m likely wanting a bottle or two.
• 80-84: Quite good, pleasant overall though there is usually a few things that could be improved still.
• 75-79: Good, enjoyable to drink but ultimately flawed.
• 70-74: Alright, solid and wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.