Milton (Strathisla) 72 Year Old 1949/2022 Gordon & MacPhail Private Collection (70cl, 48.6%)

This Speyside single malt comes from the last Milton cask filled for Gordon & MacPhail in the 1940s. It was distilled on 19 May 1949 at the Milton Distillery in Keith, which has been called Strathisla since 1951, and matured for 72 years in a first fill sherry puncheon. Gordon & MacPhail bottled it from cask 383 on 6 January 2022 at a natural cask strength of 48.6%, filling 180 bottles. It is neither coloured nor chill-filtered. The nose brings sherry, sweet vanilla and Seville orange, with stewed red berries moving into winter spice and lemon zest. On the palate butterscotch gives way to bright citrus and nutmeg, then baked apple, poached pear and honeycomb. The long finish holds apple and dark toffee with a faint touch of smoke.