Strathisla, in Keith, was founded in 1786 as Milltown, making it one of the oldest continuously operating distilleries in the Highlands. Its pagoda roofs and waterwheel have appeared on more calendars than any other Scottish distillery, and for good reason: it is genuinely beautiful.
Its commercial significance is equally old. Since 1950 the site has been owned by Chivas Brothers, and Strathisla has served as the spiritual and literal heart of Chivas Regal, the blend it anchors. The distillery also houses the official Chivas visitor centre, and for decades the single malt was only readily available at its gates.
The 15 Year Old is no longer in the core range — Strathisla's standard release is the 12 — but the age statement appears in Chivas's exclusive and travel-retail ranges. At fifteen years in a mix of refill and sherry cask, the distillery's characteristic weight shows clearly: malty, nutty, dried-fruited, and distinctly old-fashioned in the best sense. It tastes like a whisky from a blender's ledger, which of course it is.
Bottled at 43%, it is an unhurried, firelit sort of dram. For anyone who has made the pilgrimage to Keith and stood under those pagodas, the 15 is a fitting souvenir of Scotland's oldest working Highland distillery.
