Distillery Name: Strathisla Distillery
Distillery Location: Speyside
Link to Distillery Website: https://maltwhiskydistilleries.com/strathisla/
Tours: https://maltwhiskydistilleries.com/strathisla/tours
Tour/Tasting/Experience: The Distillery Reserve Collection

Strathisla Distillery is the oldest licensed distillery in Scotland, founded in 1786 by George Taylor and Alexander Milne as Milltown Distillery. The distillery is now owned by Pernod Ricard under the Chivas Brothers name, after a takeover of Seagram’s in 2001.

The single malt is a classic Speyside with sweet and fruity notes. The single malt is a core component of the Chivas Regal and the Royal Salute blends.
If you would like to read more about Chivas Regal click here: https://thewhiskyknights.com/chivas-regal-12/

The Strathisla Distillery offers three other experiences:

• Strathisla Distillery Tour. A traditional distillery tour with a guided tasting of four Strathisla whiskies and a welcome highball.
• The Chivas Blending Experience. A guided tasting of single malts and grain whiskies that culminate in mixing your very own blend.
• The Chivas Cellar Tasting. This experience offers the opportunity to enjoy drams drawn straight from the casks inside the Chivas Regal Cellar within Warehouse No 3. All malts are cask strength and include a Bourbon barrel of Chivas Regal 12 years old, a sherry butt of Chivas Extra, a hogshead of Chivas Regal 18 years old, a sherry butt of Chivas Regal 25 years old, and a barrel of Chivas Ultis.

The Distillery Reserve Collection

This tasting consists of five limited edition cask strength single malts from the distillery Reserve Collection. All expressions are only available at the distillery and are Non-chilled filtered.

17 Years-Old First Fill Bourbon. Cask# 31517 ($$$)

This whisky matured in an ex-bourbon cask for 17 years, then bottled at 52.4% ABV in March 2021. The flavor profile is medium-bodied sweet notes of fruits and a malty flavor. There is a good balance between casks and Strathisla spirit. A nice malt to kickstart the tasting. This malt retails for £110.

Score: 3.75/5⭐

19 Years-Old First Fill Bourbon. Cask# 27053 ($$$$)

This single malt matured in an ex-bourbon cask for 19 years and bottled at 55.% ABV in March 2022. The palate is still flavorful with the same sweet fruit notes, but the barrel starts to take over the experience, making it less balanced in favor of more noticeable oak notes. This malt retails for £150.

Score: 3.25/5⭐

16 Years-Old 2nd Fill Sherry Butt. Cask# 7352 ($$)

This single malt matured for 16 years in an ex-sherry cask that previously held whisky and bottled at 62.6% ABV in February 2019. The palate is rich and intense, with notes of dried fruits, peaches, apples and spices from the spirit and the oak. Although the alcohol is significantly higher than most malts I prefer, I did not feel a burn going down, and the malt delivered a pleasant experience. This malt retails for £90.

Score: 3.5/5⭐

25 Years 2nd Sherry Fill. Cask# 139972 ($$$$)

The oldest malt in the tasting was aged in a second-fill sherry cask for 25 years and bottled at 57.4% ABV in March 2021. The most intense of all whiskies, its flavor profile is full of raisins and other dried fruits. A good expression of Strathisla if you like a full-bodied malt with a long and dry finish. This malt retails for £195, but I do not think it should command that price.

Score: 3.5/5⭐

8 Years 1st Sherry Fill Sherry Butt. Cask 152434 ($$)

The youngest malt in the tasting was aged in a second-fill sherry cask for eight years and bottled at 63% ABV in March 2022. I like the light-dried fruits in Strathisla at a young age. The alcohol percentage did not bother me in this expression, which retails for £55.

Score: 3.75/5⭐

What I liked about the experience 🙂

• The tasting experience was challenging and fun. I was fooled by the light color of one malt, thinking this was a young expression, only to find out it matured in a second fill cask.
• The range of whiskies is broad, showcasing the diversity of flavors imparted by spirit and cask at different ages and barrel types. I enjoyed all expressions more after adding a few more drops of water.
• The distillery is small and picturesque. The visit to warehouse No 3 was a bonus to me. For only £50, this distillery is worth a visit.

What I did not like about the experience 🙁

Nothing. Good value.

Score: 3.75/5⭐

Legend
$50 or less $
$51-$100 $$
$101-$150 $$$
$151 or more $$$$