I could almost copy/paste last Wednesday’s intro for today’s review, as we’re exploring another distillery that wasn’t covered on More Drams until today: Strathmill. And to do that… we’ll rely on independent bottlers, as official releases are scarce. We’ll start with a 2009 Strathmill bottled by Le Gus’t, then a 1988 Strathmill, 38 years old, bottled by The Whisky Agency.
Strathmill Distillery
Strathmill is a Speyside distillery in Keith, Moray, owned by Diageo and used principally as a blending malt, particularly for J&B. It was founded in 1891 as Glenisla-Glenlivet, on the site of a former corn mill, before W. & A. Gilbey acquired it and renamed it Strathmill in 1895.
The distillery sits beside the River Isla and is a substantial producer: its reported annual capacity is around 2.3–2.6 million litres of pure alcohol. Its current plant comprises a 9-tonne stainless-steel mash tun, six stainless-steel washbacks of around 46,500 litres, two wash stills and two spirit stills; the number of stills was doubled from two to four in 1968.
Historically, Strathmill moved with Gilbey’s blending interests through the creation of International Distillers & Vintners, then Grand Metropolitan, before becoming part of Diageo following the Guinness–Grand Metropolitan merger in 1997. Its official single-malt presence has been unusually limited for a distillery of its size: the enduring reference is the 12-year-old Flora & Fauna, first released in the early 2000s, alongside occasional Diageo Special Releases such as a 25-year-old in 2014. Independent bottlings are therefore the principal route for exploring Strathmill outside its blending role.
Strathmill 2009 Le Gus’t (2024) Review
This is a single-cask Speyside single malt distilled at Strathmill on the 26th of November 2009 and bottled by the French independent bottler Le Gus’t on the 7th of February 2024. It was released as Selection XXXV at 14 years old, from hogshead cask no. 807593, at 51.6% ABV. The cask yielded 341 bottles of 700ml.
Colour:
White wine.
Nose:
Neat: The nose is fruity and with a nice intensity. It starts with pear eau-de-vie, bruised red and golden apples, delicate white flowers and freshly harvested barley. After some aeration, a pinch of allspice appears, with lemon pips and white grapes.
With water: Everything quiets down, leaving apple blossom, very soft and lightly floral, like a whisper of the nose.
Palate:
Neat: The palate is oily, and starts with stewed apple and pear eau-de-vie again, close to the nose. Freshly cut grass, slightly wet after a light rain, a soft woody bitterness, dark chocolate and espresso, hints of orange juice, and a good hit of spices with pepper, chilli and a little tabasco sauce.
With water: The palate becomes creamier, with more citrus and spices, more grassy notes and unripe pears.
Finish:
A grassy and slightly woody bitterness lingers for a good moment, before some fresher and grassier notes of eucalyptus and mint appear: lemon slices in a glass of sparkling water,
Comments:
This Strathmill bottled by Le Gus’t is a light, summery dram with a floral character, a bright citrus edge and a youthful note reminiscent of pear eau-de-vie. It remains fresh and well composed throughout, with enough definition to keep it interesting. A very good, easy-going expression.
Rating: 7/10
Strathmill 1988 The Whisky Agency (2026) Review
Next, we have a 1988 Strathmill, bottled in 2026 by The Whisky Agency. This single malt matured for 38 years in a hogshead, before being bottled at 44.9% ABV, without chill filtration nor added colour. I could find it on preorder at Delia Whisky in Germany, for about €370 a bottle.
Colour:
Burnished.
Nose:
Neat: The nose opens with Williams pears, papaya, and mangoes, underlined by what smells like smoked manuka honey. Soft floral notes of wildflowers and grapes must sit alongside shortbread and sponge cake, fresh tobacco, kiwis and vanilla rice pudding. The nose as a nice and soft intensity, with alcohol perfectly integrated over time.
Palate:
Neat: The palate surprised me from the start: feeling a little thin at first, it quickly became creamy, but it was the flavours which surprised me the most, quite different from the nose. Melon, wood smoked peaches, heather and forest honey, zesty lemons, hints of grapefruit, a little pepper, then more empyreumatic notes of dark chocolate, freshly brewed coffee and some oak, a little bitter and raspy. Again, good intensity.
Finish:
The empyreumatic notes of dark chocolate and coffee do linger for a long moment, with peaches and mangoes, kiwis, and something almost funky, becoming softly drying after a minute.
Comments:
This Strathmill 1988 bottled by The Whisky Agency did surprise me a lot. I don’t have much experience with this distillery, and this was by far the oldest one I’ve tried, but if the nose was classic Speyside, the palate and finish did make me raise a brow. There was something unusual (which doesn’t mean bad, not at all), hard to pinpoint, kind of funky but not Campbeltown funky or Jamaican rum funky, giving a strong desire to explore more and uncover what makes it feel special and different. A whisky that is not just very good, but interesting and arousing curiosity.
Rating: 8/10
Sample for the Strathmill 1988 The Whisky Agency provided by the independent bottler, but this does not prevent me from writing what I truly think.