Strathmill 1985 - 11 Year Old - James MacArthur - Fine Malt Selection Miniature

The Strathmill distillery is one of Diageo's most obscure workhorses. Built in 1891, today it makes a modern-style Speyside spirit, with four stills producing around 2.5m litres per year, the overwhelming majority of which is destined for blenders - Strathmill is one of the key malts in the J&B blended whisky recipe.

Strathmill’s Centenary Decanter, a limited edition of just 100 bottles released in 1991, is believed to be the first bottling of the distillery’s single malt in living memory; the first independent bottlings appeared from Cadenhead’s and the SMWS in 1992.

Strathmill has enjoyed very few official distillery bottlings, with only the Flora and Fauna 12-year-old, a Managers' Choice bottling and one Special Release edition released this century. However, independent Strathmills show the spirit is technically very pure, fruity, clean and grassy - one of the exemplars of the lighter style of Speyside.

James MacArthur & Co Ltd was an independent bottler of single malt and grain whiskies founded in 1982 by the Winning family. The company kept an exceptionally low profile but its James MacArthur’s Old Masters and James MacArthur’s Fine Malts ranges, while unprolific, were always outstanding drams. James MacArthur’s whiskies were released at cask strength or 45-46% and were always from traditional bourbon or sherry casks. 

James MacArthur’s simple, utilitarian labels were light on detail, often with just a distillery name and age statement rather than any distillation or bottling dates. The company’s most legendary whiskies are a pair of 12-year-old Port Ellens and half a dozen Caol Ilas bottled in the 1980s, all of which are of extraordinary quality and have subsequently fetched enormous prices at auction. Sadly, with the Winnings long past retirement age, James MacArthur & Co was dissolved early in 2022.