Littlemill 1991 21 Year Old 'Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice'
Littlemill is gone. The distillery closed in 1992 and burned in 2004, which means every bottle carrying its name is a finite thing, drawn from spirit that can never be made again. This one was distilled in 1991, near the very end, then held for 21 years and released by Gordon & MacPhail under their Connoisseurs Choice label. For anyone building a shelf of lost Lowland distilleries, it belongs there.
Littlemill stood at Bowling, on the north bank of the Clyde, and has a claim to being one of Scotland's oldest licensed distilleries. Its make was classic Lowland: gentle, delicate, built on soft fruit rather than smoke or heavy sherry. Gordon & MacPhail, the Elgin house whose maturation warehouses are the stuff of legend, laid this cask down and let those quiet qualities lengthen over two decades.
The nose is sweet and fruit-led, with citrus to the fore, grapefruit and lemon, a touch of cedar. The palate keeps that softness: ripe apples and pears, a light perfumed note, mellow through the middle. It rewards a little water, which coaxes out a lemonade brightness. The finish is smooth and quite long for so gentle a spirit. This is elegance rather than power, and all the rarer for it.
Open it slowly, and drink to a distillery that is no longer with us.
How to Serve
Neat, in a tulip glass, at room temperature. A few drops of water if you wish, but let its delicacy speak first.
Where to Drink It
Dukes Bar in St James's, for quiet contemplation of something scarce. The Connaught Bar, if the occasion warrants it. Scarfes Bar at the Rosewood, for an unhurried evening.
Food Pairings
Keep it clean: a few salted almonds, or a slice of lemon tart to echo the citrus.
