Single Malt
Scotland
1 Nov 1990
1 Oct 2022
This is a true secret. Which distillery is this from? We don't know. This isn't one of those 'we can't disclose for commercial reasons' deals. This 31-year-old single cask from Islay gives away some clues in its peaty style and age, but after that, you'll need to do some detective work and trust your palate. What's certain is what an absolute belter this one is. A release of 283 bottles.
Sea air, streaky bacon, rich smoke, lemon peels, and thyme honey with toasted almonds, soft vanilla, and drying peppery spice.
Crunchy brown sugar, ash, vanilla cheesecake, and a complex blend of sweetened coffee and Christmas pudding fruit. Underneath there’s oak char and a little damp wooden furniture.
Lemon cough sweets and whispers of smoke.
A truly classic Islay malt. Totally iconic. Beautifully balanced and integrated; mature yet still strong after 31 years. A belter, I agree. As to the distillery, I have pretty good idea after comparing it to some others with stripped down cask influence, but in the spirit of mystery, am keeping it to myself. It's what I would have predicted from the tasting notes and year of distillation. A great cask, even more wonderful than expected.
