This is the first of a handful of Littlemill reviews I’m expecting to publish over the next few weeks. Today I’m taking a closer look at the new Littlemill 33 Years Mizunara Finish from the demolished distillery’s new Cask Reflections Collection.
Littlemill is hardly as prevalent as it was 10 years ago, when there was an abundance of new releases almost every month. Independents have likely bottled most of their stock by now. And the Loch Lomond Group, owners of the Littlemill brand, have “less then 100 casks” left. Or at least that’s as specific as they wanted to get when asked during the launch of the Littlemill 33 Years Mizunara Finish.
It’s impossible to know how many casks of Littlemill there left are in Scottish warehouses. Could be very little (no pun intended) or maybe more than we think. I’ve been told there are cask brokers still offering Littlemill, and there still is the odd independent bottling. Who knows?
The Loch Lomond Group’s parcels are split between casks from the 1970s and their last remaining stock from the early 1990s. The older stock will remain in their original cask, most of them being relatively inactive refill casks. But master blender Michael Henry doesn’t mind being a bit more experimental with the 1990s stock.
That’s how the Littlemill 33 Years Mizunara Finish was born. It’s the first release in the Cask Reflections Collection, and it eventually will be joined by other creatively matured Littlemill. Initially matured in refill bourbon casks, the Mizunara finish was relatively short – just four months and two weeks.
There’s a good reason for that. Michael Henry said, “The staves [of Mizunara oak] are thick and porous, imparting flavour at a much greater pace, which requires my keenest attention and care to ensure the finish doesn’t overpower what would have been the distillery character.”
Just 570 bottles of the Cask Reflections Release No.1 are available worldwide. The price? Let’s just say it isn’t cheap.
Littlemill 33 Years Mizunara Finish (49.1%, OB ‘Cask Reflections’, 570 bts.)
Nose: Hugely fragrant and intensely creamy but unmistakably Littlemill. A decent amount of sandalwood accompanies fat notes of pineapple, pink grapefruit and rose water with a touch of lychee and some grassy notes as well.
Taste: Creamy mouthfeel. I think the Mizunara might have been very beneficial for the mouthfeel. A honeyed first impression, but then an almost over-the-top fruitiness. Like multivitamin juice, except boozy. And the pink grapefruit is here again, but it’s also slightly dry, somewhat spicy and there are touches of cinnamon.
Finish: Medium length. The fruits linger, but there’s a veneer of drying oak spice as well.
