Another rather dusty bottle, but this time from across the Atlantic. This Stillbrook was produced by the American Distilling Company, in their distillery in Pekin, Illinois. Currently the distillery is supposed to be still operating, but they’re not producing whisky anymore.

Apart from that, extra rarity is added to this bottling since it’s from a 500ml bottle, and by looking at auctions and other website with antiquities like this, most of their bottles of the 1970s were a bit larger, and clock in at 114cl, or even bigger than that.

The sample comes from, without surprise, MvZ, who is known for this kind of old shit. He was able to tell me that the bottling was the same in labelling as the 1960s 750ml bottling, since an image of this one is somehow not available (AFAIK). So, while the image is from the 1960s bottling, the whisky was the 1970s distillate.

Sniff:
Rich and soft on the nose, but with big flavors. The lower ABV makes this very gentle, but the richness is not impeded or watery or thin by any means. There’s oak, peaches, cigars, but also a whiff of glue and paint.

Sip:
The palate is quite big too, but veers a bit more towards the chemical notes I found on the nose too. Keep in mind that this is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s just something slightly unfamiliar to modern palates (Yeah, because people used to drink paint and glue all the time, dude). After a couple of seconds there is some chili pepper coming through, as well as a peach and mango sweetness. Sweet tea too.

Swallow:
The finish is a bit more woody than the palate or nose was. White oak, with hints of coconut. A rather long finish with mostly rich oak, some more dry notes but still fruity.

This was a lovely surprise. I have to keep reminding me that if things have been bottled in the 1970s, they were distilled in the early seventies or even the 1960s. And that means the decline of the American whisky industry hadn’t begun it’s drive to the bottom and a shift to far lighter spirits yet.

So, yes, a really solid old bourbon!

86/100