Flora and Fauna Strathmill 12 Year Old

Each bottle in the Flora & Fauna collection carries a label illustrated with local wildlife and plants — a detail that inspired the late whisky writer Michael Jackson to give the range its name, one that Diageo never officially recognised but has endured regardless. The collection was launched in 1991 by United Distillers to offer rare single malt expressions from distilleries whose output was otherwise reserved entirely for blending. Today, with only 11 bottlings still commercially available, it has become one of the most coveted collections among whisky enthusiasts.

One of Scotland's most obscure distilleries, Strathmill began life as a corn mill in 1823 before being converted to whisky production in 1891 and eventually acquired by London wine and gin merchant W. & A. Gilbey in 1895 — the same company that owned Glen Spey. Through a series of mergers it became part of Diageo, with its malt remaining a cornerstone of J&B blended Scotch. Like Glen Spey and Glenlossie, Strathmill uses purifiers on its spirit stills, lending the whisky its characteristically light and delicate character. With almost no official distillery bottlings over the years, the 12 Year Old Flora & Fauna added in 2001 is the only widely available release — a quietly understated dram with notes of citrus, nutty cereal, warm spices and ginger.