A small bag of unknown malts


June 19, 2025

A small bag of unknown malts
Of course, we know what they are in terms of the house style or brand, but we’ve no idea what they actually contain, what with the real and fake blended malts, and those mysterious names that seem designed purely to wind us up a bit. Between ourselves, twenty years ago the buzzwords were ‘traceability’ and its sidekick ‘origin’. A sense of the place, as they used to say. But never mind, let’s stop moaning and dive in at random…

Distilled in the Speyside 13 yo (56.7%, A Dream of Scotland, 1st fill sherry butt, 596 bottles, 2020)

Colour: amber. Nose: massively sherried, as clearly hinted at by the label, with bags of spent matches, gunpowder, chocolate, a whiff of fermented tofu (thankfully not quite natto, let’s not be dramatic) and plenty of pipe tobacco. These bottlings tend to be more Macallan than Glenfarclas these days, though I dare say there's no real chance of pinpointing the distillery here. With water: touches of carbon dust, black tea, and a dash of brake pad powder. Mouth (neat): thick and assertive, full of sulphur, yellow mustard, beef bouillon, coffee, dark chocolate and orange marmalade. There's also a sweet edge not unlike corn syrup. With water: veering ever closer to those wildest young hyper-sherried (M)s from Signatory. Finish: long, with rubber coming unmistakably to the fore. Comments: it's a bit mad, rather full-on, but certainly enjoyable if you’re in the right frame of mind. Which, fortunately, we are.
SGP:562 - 84 points.

Speyside Region 43 yo 1973/2017 (52.1%, The Whisky Agency for Water of Life Japan, cask #8)

Speyside Region 43 yo 1973/2017 (52.1%, The Whisky Agency for Water of Life Japan, cask #8)
Angus has tasted this one and adored it, though I haven’t. I mean, I haven’t tasted it. Most likely a Glenfarclas, selected by our Japanese friend Hideo, who kindly brought a bottle to Limburg this year. Huzzah! Colour: straw. Nose: ah yes, that gloriously fat fruitiness, those ripe mangos, citrus peels, unmistakably in the style of those marvellous refill GF casks from the 1960s. With water: absolutely stunning. Mouth (neat): an incredible fruitiness, candied and honeyed to the core. Sublime, nothing more to add. With water: utterly sublime, a divine throwback to Glenfarclas’ golden age. Finish: fairly long, becoming far waxier, with citrus zests and a medley of tiny herbs. Comments: if Hideo’s still got bottles of this, do pester him into parting with one or two (just don’t say I put you up to it, pretty please). Far superior to anything from the more recent ‘OB’ bottlings, which they wouldn’t dare let us taste anyway.
SGP:661 - 93 points.

A Highland Distillery 12 yo 2011/2023 (59.1%, Watt Whisky, Denmark exclusive, bourbon barrel, 246 bottles)

A Highland Distillery 12 yo 2011/2023 (59.1%, Watt Whisky, Denmark exclusive, bourbon barrel, 246 bottles)
As ever with these little chaps, there are whispers it might be Clynelish, though we haven’t the faintest. Colour: straw. Nose: wax, chalk and tangerine. Rather punchy too, but that's down to the strength. With water: damp limestone, church candles (amen) and a wee satchel of tangerines. Mouth (neat): but of course. High-definition tangerine with heather honey and beeswax. Do watch out, Glen Ord can sometimes produce something along similar lines. With water: splendid stuff, taut, waxy, mineral and—dare we say—just a tad Meursaulty. We do love our barbarisms at WF HQ. Finish: long, zestier, sharper, more on green apple and lemon peel. Comments: I’d like a quote for three pallets of this wee dazzler, shipped straight from Denmark to Alsace, if you please.
SGP:562 - 90 points.

Highland Single Malt 22 yo 1996/2018 (54.7%, C. Dully Selection, refill bourbon barrels, cask #CDI18, 342 bottles)

There's a map on the back label that leaves absolutely no doubt as to this malt’s origin—somewhere on the east coast between Inverness and Wick. Just to be clear, it's neither Glenmorangie nor Pulteney. It was high time we tasted this wee chap, especially since it’s not a sherry cask. You know what I mean. Colour: pale gold. Nose: barley in its purest form, with very ripe apples and furniture polish, all kept delightfully simple for now. With water: every wax in the known world, and every citrus too. Mouth (neat): utterly lovely, splendid waxiness, tiny citrus fruits… But it’s rather compact without water. Still, we know more or less what’s going to happen when water’s added, don’t we? With water: immediate lift-off, grapefruit, Sauternes, old Chenin blancs from the Loire, assorted herbal teas, cold-brewed green tea, and even a wee grassy touch that gently brings you back to earth. Finish: long, waxy, fresh, just perfect. Comments: it’s wonderful, of course, though it’s striking how remarkably close it is to that Watt Whisky despite the fifteen-year age gap.
SGP:561 - 91 points.

Secret Highland Distillery 14 yo 2008/2022 (44%, Acla Selection, 10th Anniversary, sherry butt #452, 120 bottles)

Secret Highland Distillery 14 yo 2008/2022 (44%, Acla Selection, 10th Anniversary, sherry butt #452, 120 bottles)
These labels, featuring animal photography by Claudio Gotsch, were among the most handsome ever used by any spirits bottler. Colour: pale gold. Nose: it’s less straightforward here to guess the distillery, with notes of nougat, toffee apples, farmhouse cider, and cold herbal infusions. Mouth: very good indeed, showing fudge, vanilla cream, a hint of paraffin, curious touches of lavender, a slight salinity, and an overall profile not unlike that of young official HPs from sherry wood. Very ripe apples too. Finish: fairly long, leaning into pear territory. Comments: the sherry makes it rather tricky to determine the distillery, so we shan’t hazard a guess—especially since we still enjoy a certain reputation in the village. At least in our street. Or so I hope… Not Clynelish.
SGP:551 - 85 points.

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

You’ll find such oddities lurking in the WF Library! Whoever knows what this really is, speak now or forever hold your peace. Colour: white wine. Nose: it’s so very Ardmore! That fermentary edge, with bruised apples, cigarette and pipe ash, balms and cough syrups, fresh white bread... Mouth: that peculiar balance so typical of Ardmore indeed. A touch of sweetness, ashes, wee herbs, a fino-like quality (yes yes, it’s a barrel), light olive oil, gentle resins, a pinch of salt… Finish: same story, for quite a stretch, even heading towards seawater and lemon. Comments: it’s rather lovely, just a touch perplexing and hard to pigeonhole. You know what I mean.
SGP:553 - 85 points.

		Green glass is better
		Green glass is generally more recycling-friendly and can be more sustainable in many systems. White/clear/flint glass requires very pure recycled material, which means contamination from coloured glass is a much bigger issue.

Speyside Blended Malt (45%, Samaroli, bourbon, 810 bottles, 2023)

A most elliptical proposition—basically we know nothing, and the white fox on the label isn’t about to reveal much more. That said, I do love this bit of label prose, which I’ve translated for your delight: ‘A princely malt in bloom, whisking our nose across a multitude of realms: the aroma is Moorish, perhaps Latin, or rather Byzantine… evoking the stone walls of Otranto, that bridgehead of Italy and what remained of the Western Empire, facing sumptuous Constantinople.’ We rather have to bow, have we not? Colour: gold. Nose: indeed, bitter almond liqueur, fougasse, overripe apples, sesame and olive oils, a dab of houmous, half a drop of rosewater and another of orange blossom water… Clearly Eastern in style, though perhaps I’ve been swayed by the blurb. Shame on me. Mouth: the trouble is it’s jolly good, with waxes, citrus zests, soft honeys and wee infusions. Finish: same again, even veering towards shellfish (presumably from the Strait of Otranto, right). Comments: I’d have sworn there was some Clynelish in the mix, but Clynelish isn’t in Speyside, last time we checked. No provenance, no age, no vintage, yet it's undeniably very good.
SGP:561 - 87 points.

Right then, let’s round off this series with a little Compass Box…

Chez Lion (46%, Compass Box, bespoke release, blended scotch, 1710 bottles, 2024)

Chez Lion (46%, Compass Box, bespoke release, blended scotch, 1710 bottles, 2024)
Ouch, it’s a blended scotch, not a blended malt. Never mind, let’s carry on if you’re game… It appears to be a custom creation for a well-known bar in Hamburg. One hopes our friends in Hamburg are feeling rather thirsty—1710 bottles is a decent haul. Colour: gold. Nose: gentle and easy-going, with the grain showing but not overstepping—vanilla, coconut, macaroons—and a textural maltiness evocative of Ord, Glen Elgin, Clynelish or suchlike. There’s even a touch of the freshness you’d find in a young Glenkinchie, though there’s a 99% chance I’m wrong. Fearless, as ever. Mouth: actually, I quite like it—pistachio, sesame, with again that grain component, though kept relatively in check (a whiff of coconut water, hmm). The grain just adds a faint sugary softness we might have done without. Let me remind you, our gang was called the Malt Maniacs, not the Blend Maniacs. Finish: loses a bit of drive here, becoming a touch sweet and thin, with perhaps a shade too much grain in the mix, if I may say so. Comments: and yet, it started off rather promisingly. It was no doubt a great mistake on our part to place it after all those marvellous malts; we are terribly sorry.
SGP:631 - 78 points.

Come on then, let’s try to lift our spirits…

Highland Malt 38 yo 1983/2021 (51.4%, Maltbarn, The 26, #2, sherry cask)

Obviously, I must admit, this is the heavier artillery. Colour: gold. Nose: well then, we’re greeted with a little coconut and vanilla, hints of avocado, hay, wicker, old magazines, ink, and slightly stale tobacco… As they say, the jury’s still out. With water the waxy tones begin to steer you towards the small town of Brora and its, pardon me, their famed distilleries, though what we have here is a whispering version, light-footed, not exactly weary but a tad delicate. Mouth (neat): far cleaner and better defined on the palate, with a lovely salinity, roasted apricot, verbena, pine nuts… Yet there’s that same fragility, marked this time by rising notes of overripe apples. With water slight alcoholic notes emerge first, then waxes, pollens, fruit compotes, deeply ripe plums… What we’re missing for a clear Sutherland signature are citrus fruits, mandarins, bergamots… Finish: not very long, a bit delicate, fading like the sea as it withdraws with the ebbing tide. Forget that. Comments: very, very lovely, but a tad frustrating.
SGP:541 - 86 points.

We’d best leave it there. See you tomorrow?