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Whisky Reviews

Littlemill 1988, 31 Year Old, Hideo Yamaoka x Emmanuel Dron Single Cask

 

Emmanuel Dron of The Auld Alliance in Singapore and Hideo Yamaoka of Whisky Mew in Japan are whisky legends in their own right. Now they have bottled this 1988 Littlemill, aged in a (presumably ex-bourbon) hogshead for 31 years, to celebrate their friendship. Lowland whiskies from shuttered distilleries are scarce and expensive. But we shall see how this 48.7% ABV Littlemill fares.

 

Tasting Notes

Nose: Lemon pound cake drizzled with vanilla glaze, dried raspberries, thyme, Muscat grapes, bacon fat just starting to caramelise. Think a pie crust glazed with lard.

Palate: Delicate, creamy texture, citrusy minerality like of 7-Up, soft yeasty pretzels fresh out of the oven, pickled beetroot, green apples, turnips, vanilla, the more I chew on it, the waxier it gets.

Finish: Long, indelible even when I take a sip of water, wildflower honey, castor sugar, pickled beetroot again, but also clean vegetal flavours; ice plant and lovage come to mind.
 

There are many notes, each individually brilliant, reflecting the quality of the make and aging. But they add up merely to the sum of their parts; no more, no less. As a whole, this is really good whisky, but doesn't quite knock it out of the park as the flavours don't quite play off each other. I think the nose was the most cohesive, but the palate had several memorable flavours that I rarely encounter in whisky. It reminds me of some fine-dining dishes that overcomplicate blending the sweet and savoury, while yielding a less enjoyable dish than a purely savoury or sweet one. Hence this is an 88.

 

H.Y.