We already had a good Secret Distillery #2 15 yo from That Boutique-y Whisky Company. This is from a different undisclosed distillery though, a Speyside distillery that is “known for its independence and for its massively sherried whiskies”. Enough information.
It is 9 years old and clearly comes from sherry casks.
Secret Distillery #1 9 yo
(51,7%, That Boutique-y Whisky Company 2017, Batch #2, 1220 btl.)
Secret Distillery #1 9 yoNose: sherry all the way, on the darker side of the spectrum. Treacle, dark chocolate, soaked raisins and lots of dates. Blackberry jam. Also roasted hazelnuts and some meaty hints.
Mouth: rather thick, with a style that reminds me of some A’Bunadh batches. Dark caramel and burnt raisins and burnt toast. Spiced rum. Barley notes underneath. Liquorice, cloves and black peppercorns. More and more chocolate towards the end. I’m missing a bit of a fresh, fruity side.
Finish: quite long, on dark berries, spices and toast.
A bit plump perhaps, but if you like a dark, slightly roasted type of sherry bottling, this will be up your alley. A good one for the end of the year. Around € 85, still available from Master of Malt.
Score: 85/100