Littlemill 20yo 1985 (Gordon & MacPhail, Bottled 2005)

An older bottling from now shuttered (permanently, according to wikipedia: the remnants of the distillery were destroyed by fire in 2004) Lowlands distillery Littlemill.
I’d never heard of this distillery until I saw a recent Whiskey Vault episode in which they reviewed the 12yo standard bottling. I went down to my local, lo and behold they had a 20yo Gordon & MacPhail bottling from 2005. I was lucky enough to score the last pour from the bottle.

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Distiller: Littlemill distillery
Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail
Distilled: February 1985
Bottled: June 2005
Cask Type: Refill Sherry Hogsheads
ABV: 40%
Age: 20yo
Source: Pour at Grand Terminus, Bergen, Norway.
Setting: Unblind.

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Nose: Vanilla, cream, moss, wet forest, powdered sugar, some vague perfume notes.
Palate: Light & airy, custard. A little thin, probably owing to the weak 80 proof.
Finish: Mossy wood with a slightly astringent note.
Overall: An interesting mix of creamy vanilla and mossy funk. I really enjoyed it, but it didn’t blow me away. I think if they hadn’t have proofed it down so far this would have been a far more interesting whisky, but as it is it’s a bit delicate.
Rank: 5