A second little mix of slightly mysterious malts and blends


September 17, 2025

A second little mix of slightly mysterious malts and blends

Carrying on where we left off yesterday. We don’t really know what they are, except that they’re Scottish. All in all, a little game of hide-and-seek that can be fun – and even reveal some pleasant surprises, as always.

Coleburn Selection 12 yo ‘Batch #2’ (46%, Aceo, blend, PX Sherry & Port casks, +/-2025)

These cask combinations are always a tad worrying, but you never know. Naturally, this isn't a ‘proper’ Coleburn, but the brand does indeed belong to Aceo, and if memory serves, they own the site as well. Mind you, this one’s a blend, not a malt, as we’ve just noted. Colour: deep gold. Nose: the wines are doing all the heavy lifting, to the point of being rather overpowering, with a massive surge of musts and caramel, even a touch of yeast, before shifting towards raspberry eau-de-vie. Mouth: someone must have nodded off during the fortification of a Pedro. In short, this is PX pushed to the limit. An avalanche of raisins, cherry jam and dried goji berries. Finish: same affair, very wine-led, and it does go on for a good while. Just a whisper of oak in the aftertaste. Comments: it’s a bit much for me, to be honest, but I’m certain it’ll appeal to a fair share of the public. And it’s very affordable. Truth be told, I found yesterday’s Parkmore vastly superior.
SGP:751 - 78 points.

Peallach 2015/2024 (56.1%, Malts of Scotland, bourbon barrel, cask #MoS 24009, 250 bottles)

Well then, it’s written in small print on the label—this is peated ‘Tobermoray’. That ‘a’ is rather puzzling, though one assumes it’s not some kind of Ledaig-Glen Moray blend à la Ardbeg’s Serendipity, is it now. Colour: white wine. Nose: a chalky and fermentary peat that rings a bell. It does remind one of Tobermory, though not quite Ledaig, and yet it’s peated. Curious… With water: more maritime freshness, a faint touch of rubber. New diving suit, ha. Mouth (neat): powerful, earthy, still fermentary, very smoky, slightly tarry, with a fair bit of bacon as well. With water: that same rather singular profile, tar, bacon, sea water, ashes. Finish: same story. Comments: it would appear to be peated Tobermory indeed, but not Ledaig. So be it, it’s very good.
SGP:356 - 85 points.

Blended Malt 18 yo 2007/2025 (45.3%, Liquid Treasures, Love & Peace series, 2nd fill oloroso sherry butt, 545 bottles)

Made entirely from Speysiders. We do of course love the motto ‘Love & Peace’—in fact, twenty litres of this wee baby ought to be force-fed at once to all those leftover dictators of humanity who are causing the deaths of hundreds, even thousands of children just to cling to power. Let them burn in hell, with all those new angels relieving themselves upon their ashes. But let’s focus, shall we… Colour: deep gold. Nose: far too lovely for dictators! Oils, toasted sesame, roasted pine nuts, brown ale, rancio, mirabelle jam, quince jelly… Absolutely delightful! Mouth: it’s really very good, even more toasted now, heading towards chocolate, raisin cake, slightly peppery marmalade, mint tea, figs… Finish: not very long but spot-on in balance, almost fresh considering the profile. Comments: what a ridiculous idea to waste this on tyrants! Give them each fifty litres of The Claymore instead. All at once, naturally.
SGP:551 - 88 points.

Nc Noch Organic Blended Malt 5 yo (45.5%, Thompson Bros., 377 bottles, 2023)

Running a bit behind here, apologies. This is a blend of NcNean and Dornoch, hence Nc Noch. Makes perfect sense, doesn’t it. Colour: white wine. Nose: everything we like—thick distillate, very much on malt and grist, warm bread, then toffee apple and marshmallows. It’s joyful and celebratory. Mouth: tighter and sharper, with a lovely bitterness and even a touch of acidity, yet always this ocean of fresh malt and a gentle peppery kick. Finish: long, carrying through the same flavours. Comments: ever so slightly reminiscent of distilled beer. You’ll say whisky is distilled beer, but here we’re talking about actual hopped beer. Anyway, it’s very good.
SGP:562 - 85 points.

Isle of Skye 21 yo (40%, OB, Blended Scotch, +/-2024)

Bottling a 21-year-old at 40% really does feel Fleetwood Mac, doesn’t it? I mean, the idea seems to date back to the Fleetwood Mac era. Not the Peter Green years, let’s not exaggerate, but you see what I mean—boomer stuff, anyway. Colour: deep gold. Nose: seems better than the 18-year-old, oilier, on walnuts, peanuts, cashews, with a lovely wood smoke, more like chimney smoke. It’s admittedly a little shy, but the aromas make up for it, for now. Mouth: this is a nice blend, the smoke is quite present and markedly different from what one usually finds, here particularly wood smoke, though sadly it collapses quickly. A real shame. Even at 43%, it would be vastly improved. Finish: fleeting, leaving only that discreet wood smoke, and a hint of lapsang souchong. You know what they use to smoke lapsang souchong with? Comments: quite frustrating in the end—I think I preferred the 18-year-old (WF 80).
SGP:433 - 78 points.

Woven ‘Experience 15 Shindig’ (45.8%, OB, blended Scotch, 2023)

This one brings together Glen Garioch, Tullibardine, Glasgow, Benrinnes and Loch Lomond, the latter also supplying the grain. The bottles themselves are rather charming. Colour: white wine. Nose: very fresh and joyful, floral, on yellow and green fruits, with a clear nod to gooseberries. Like a small garden visited just after heavy rain. Mouth: firmer on the palate, more malty, with green apples and pears, clay, bread dough, green bananas—it’s very much my kind of thing and feels wonderfully close to nature, whatever that might mean. Finish: fairly long, slightly spicier. Green pepper, otherwise identical. A whisper of smoke, then a mildly bitter aftertaste. Comments: a beautiful, natural-feeling blend, very much about barley and bread. It crushes the Isle of Skye.
SGP:452 - 84 points.

Speyside 26 yo 1991/2018 (48.9%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection, bourbon hogshead, 324 bottles)

Woops, and there it is—a malt from the Speyside Distillery that we’d previously filed under the secret Speysides. Not the first time that’s happened. In any case, we’re seven years late, which is but a trifle. Colour: pale gold. Nose: rustic, on barley, green melon, apple peelings, pilsner beer, mashed banana and cassava. Mouth: unusual, very much on eau-de-vie, rowan, holly, gentian, celery spirit, then pepper and bruised apples, and finally cane syrup. Finish: medium in length, on apple tart dusted with cinnamon and pepper. Comments: there are some fine aspects here, quite singular, but it does come across as a little disjointed. Well, indeed, we’re seven years late, so we’ve no right to complain.
SGP:441 - 81 points.

TB/BSW 6 yo (46%, Thompson Bros., blended Scotch, 366 bottles, 2023)

Colour: full gold. Nose: strawberry tart with custard and whipped cream, roasted figs, cinnamon cream, hints of Iberico ham. I’ll let you guess the number of bellottas. Mouth: very much on petit manseng, fresh sultanas, raisin rolls, rum baba and marzipan. Very light pepper. Finish: rather long, more on teas, tannins, dark chocolate, peppers and salted liquorice, though all in moderation. Comments: very pretty and lively. That said, the grain whisky part is as discreet as Billie Eilish at a Bach or Handel oratorio. All the better for it.
SGP:452 - 85 points.

Ding-a-ling, one last little one…

Peated Highland 19 yo 2004/2023 (48%, Hogshead Imports, refill barrel, 295 bottles)

This is a single malt. Colour: pale gold. Nose: almost unidimensional—and that’s precisely what one enjoys in this kind of malt, that kitchen-knife quality, sharp and precise to the millimetre. Wood-fired pizza dough, ashes, that’s it, basta cosi. Mouth: but how good is this! In the immortal words of Talking Heads, qu’est-ce que c’est? What is it? Who’s doing Caol Ila in the Highlands? Lemon, green apple, ashes, smoked fish, and a wee green olive. Finish: same again. Comments: the last malt of a session, unless it’s meant to be the grand finale, is always the one that gets rushed. Especially when the whisky is so frightfully appetizing, you end up ravished with hunger like a wolf, even if you’re pacing yourself with the precision of a well-compensated Swiss surgeon. Well, well…
SGP:467 - 89 points.

CU.

Check the index of all secret or blended Scotch we've tasted