A wee trainload of a dozen secret Speysiders


August 20, 2026

A wee trainload of a dozen secret Speysiders

Let me start by paraphrasing, WF-style, the German writer Jean Paul : ‘Dream with whisky, conceive with wine, execute with coffee.’ Good, after those ten seconds of pseudo-culture, let us recover from our emotions with a few ‘secret’ Scottish malts, of which the market has been plentiful, at least until these more recent times, when we’ve started seeing certain official names reappearing at the indies. Anyway, that’s all very good, and this time we shall once again proceed entirely at random. More or less… So, we were saying, secrets…

Jean Paul Richter aka Jean Paul (Wunsiedel 1763 - Bayreuth 1825) by Heinrich Pfenninger

Secret Speyside 16 yo 2008/2025 (48.8%, The Wealth Spirit x Milroy’s, sherry butt, 165 bottles)

Colour: gold. Nose: touches of glue and kirsch to begin with, but that doesn’t last long as coffee fudge soon comes rushing in, together with touches of stollen and caramelised pecans, which is an absolute killer. A slight minerality, rather basaltic, and even touches of botrytis and smoke. Mouth: we find the kirsch again, the caramelised nuts, some spice cake, juniper, and a little dark tobacco, followed by Seville oranges. This is really very good, surely this cannot have been first fill. Finish: slightly softened Sichuan pepper dominates the finish, with some help from green walnuts. Comments: I find this excellent, with the sherry very much present but never dominant.
SGP:551 - 87 points.

Secret Speyside 12 yo (58.4%, Two Oak Nuts, Chapter No1, The Affair, bourbon, 244 bottles)

Colour: pale white wine. Nose: very unusual, as it kicks off straight away with lily of the valley and jasmine tea, with some cardboardy and waxy touches that are not unpleasant at all. Green apple juice, double cream. With water: it softens, with green plums, greengages, a little paraffin… Mouth (neat): it’s rather like celery eau-de-vie with added pepper and plenty of grated, very bitter lemon zest. With water: a proper miracle, the water brings out some very lovely pear and fresh turmeric. Finish: long, herbal, with some lovely bitters, aubergine and artichoke. Comments: a very unusual little beast, somewhat challenging and intellectual. Like the owners, I imagine. I like this difference.
SGP:361 - 85 points.

Bothy by Ralfy 11 yo (54.1%, North Star Spirits, 10th Anniversary, blended malt, 1,320 bottles, 2026)

Whoops, a blended malt rather than a secret Speyside, but on the other hand it’s our friend Ralfy at the helm, so this baby certainly belongs… anywhere on WF. Colour: gold. Nose: peat, cigars, camphor, tiger balm, green apples, paraffin, propolis, quinces, mirabelles, a little dry-cured ham, in short, nothing to throw away. With water: slightly animal notes, game, Gouda, fondue, but all remaining perfectly civilised. Mouth (neat): the peat is more pronounced, rougher, sharper, almost mentholated. There’s a good peater in there and the other components, rather more timid, do not seem inclined to argue with it. Still, this is very good. With water: this time it’s the roots that come to the fore, led by gentian and raw beetroot. Finish: long, slightly saline, better balanced, but then very herbal. Comments: it’s a little rough, but in a very lovely way, my Monstrously Machiavellian Malty Maniacal Malt Mates! In short, we find this excellent.
SGP:365 - 87 points.

Right, we got a little distracted, let’s get back on track with our secret Speysides…

Secret Speyside 8 yo (45.2%, Jean Boyer, Gifted Stills, blended malt, hogshead, 781 bottles, 2025)

Here this could go very quickly, as much like us, they’re rather keen on keeping things crystal-clear at Jean Boyer. Colour: very pale white wine. Nose: barley eau-de-vie, pears, apples, plums and gooseberries. And a fresh croissant first thing in the morning. Mouth: more vigorous, closer to stems, leaves and roots, fruit skins, some very ‘brut’ farmhouse cider, in short, all that sort of thing. Finish: long, earthier and saltier, rooty, rather in the manner of Tullibardine au naturel, as the name of the file already suggested, ha. Comments: simplicity itself, yet absolutely excellent.
SGP:361 - 85 points.

Secret Speyside 16 yo 2006/2022 (51.1%, Thompson Bros., refill hogshead and sherry finish, 277 bottles)

We’re very late once again, with our apologies to the brothers. Colour: full gold. Nose: a sherry leaning towards old walnuts and shoe polish, a classic combination, although not quite as common as you might think. Thyme honey, cigars, an oilcloth. With water: even more oilcloth, paraffin, a new sweater from Ali or Temu… Mouth (neat): a Fanta-like side, pepper and Campari, surprising at first, but since we do love our bitters… The pepper soon takes over. Water should bring a lot to the table here and now. With water: boom, there we have it, the peppers and bitters unfold… Finish: it remains bitter and austere, but if you enjoy that as much as I do, this is for you, provided there’s any left. Comments: I read somewhere that this was Glen Elgin. That surprises me greatly, but these things happen every day. In any case, perhaps not the easiest of Glen Elgins…
SGP:362 - 84 points.

Speyside 31 yo 1989/2021 (51.3%, Thompson Bros., refill bourbon, 527 bottles)

You’re right, we’re even later with this one, almost shamefully so, truth be told. Colour: new-world chardonnay. Nose: ah, vanilla, mango, papaya liqueur, fresh sawdust, a little grated coconut. With water: very lovely chalks, candles, and just some beeswax. A small rum baba. Mouth (neat): this is excellent, even if I haven’t a clue what it is. Papaya, passion fruit, mango, coconut, orange juice and Aperol. Not much difference from the nose. With water: a slightly muddled side, but the herbal teas and very gentle spices come in to balance it all out. Pumpkin cake. Finish: quite long, much drier, almost drying, but there’s something genuinely authentic about it. Comments: an old cask that’s become complex and a little complicated. The two generally go together, and in any case, we like this a lot.
SGP:361 - 87 points.

Well okay, it’s not Speyside, but who cares about boundaries and rules… In any case, it’s secret…

Highland Single Malt 49 yo 1976/2026 (45.1%, Thompson Bros., Dornoch Castle 25th Anniversary, cask #SR26050, 140 bottles)

Colour: gold. Nose: outrageously fruity. Either it’s Bushmills, but this isn’t Irish, or it’s Lochside, but we doubt that, or it’s Littlemill, but we doubt that too and Littlemill is a Lowlander, isn’t it. Wait, or perhaps it’s Benriach. But then they would have put ‘Speyside’. Or else it’s Tomatin, for a long time the largest distillery in Scotland. In any case, this is an absolutely gorgeous exotic fruit juice, magnificent, fresh, dazzling, poetic, almost simplistic, yet wonderful. Papaya, passion fruit, mango, banana. Mouth: very much in keeping. Sublime fruitiness, with a texture that is certainly there, but behaves like a gentleman. The Highland side comes through as a slight earthy saltiness, almost anecdotal. Finish: exotic fruit salad with a few drops of seawater. Comments: splendid bottle. Any left? Or perhaps at the hotel bar?
SGP:651 - 91 points.

Come on, let’s get back to the Secret Speysides…

Secret Speyside 26 yo 1997/2023 (51.2%, Malt Bar, K S, The Attic and Revel Hibiki, hogshead)

Secret Speyside 26 yo 1997/2023 (51.2%, Malt Bar, K S, The Attic and Revel Hibiki, hogshead)
Quite a bunch of fellows here, in Hong Kong. Colour: straw. Nose: light in a Glenlivet kind of way, ripe apples, Golden Grahams, scones, finger biscuits, biscuits roses de Reims (often baddish this whisky is better). With water: it comes back down to earth, a little earthy, not hugely distinctive. Mouth (neat): very good, lively, very malty but also mentholated and with plenty of green apple. With water: no, that’s the trouble with less distinctive distillates, they need some wood, some sherry. In their natural state, they struggle a little more. Apples. Finish: medium in length, very good but hardly likely to really rouse the languishing taster (what?) Comments: high quality, but with no obvious rough edges. But yeah, we like it rather a lot…
SGP:461 - 85 points.

Speyside 25 yo 1996/2022 ‘Marriage of Casks’ (52.6%, Single Malts of Scotland, Elixir Distillers)

Obviously, this isn’t the category we’re putting at the very top of our programme, and here’s further proof. Colour: pale gold. Nose: ripe apples, cornflakes, muffins, muesli, porridge. Not a whisky that’s going to change the face of the world, but at least, in a triple measure, it’ll make us forget all about it. With water: wheat beer. Mouth (neat): ah very good now, there’s some backbone here, apple and cinnamon cake, although the rough edges remain few and far between. All these whiskies are a little ‘average’, but not necessarily in a derogatory sense, mind you. With water: it’s good, but not yet extravagant. Finish: quite long, more herbal, rougher. Lovely coffee in the aftertaste. Comments: we could almost quote Iggy Pop, ‘I’m a tad bored’. I’m joking, just a little bit…
SGP:451 - 85 points.

We know this situation, a long series of very good whiskies that remain relatively middle-of-the-road as far as style is concerned. Let’s see what happens next…

Secret Speyside 33 yo 1992/2026 (47.8%, The Whisky Jury, refill barrel, cask #408880, 236 bottles)

Apparently, they ‘really don’t know what it is’. All right then, we believe them. Colour: white wine. Nose: it’s full, thick, textured, with apples and a very faint touch of eau de cologne and crème de menthe. Bitter almonds, orgeat, green banana, cider… Ord (not Speyside unless I’m mistaken), Elgin… Mouth: ah excellent, serious, herbal, fat, mentholated, extremely close to the raw materials, but not exactly exhilarating. Tough guy. This is where you can sense that barley is probably not the most spectacular of raw materials (if we compare it with agave, wine, sugar cane, and plenty of other things) Finish: long, more precise but still very herbal. Cactus and small lemons. Comments: a little un-Whisky-Jury, this old malt, in my humble opinion. But after all, it’s only barley but we like it (S., that’s enough).
SGP:561 - 87 points.

Blacksboat Ridge 12 yo 2013/2026 (58.8%, Single Cask Nation, American oak PX hogshead finish, cask #180641, 175 bottles)

This is indeed a single malt, from Speyside. Persistent rumours might suggest that this is GF. GF who will possibly soon be pretty happy to scatter around casks complete with permission to mention their precise origin, like many others. Anyway, just wild guesses… Colour: full gold. Nose: bitter almonds, neoprene glue, maraschino, broken branches. With water: cinnamon, cardamom, fir and pine wood, cedar, bitter almonds… Mouth (neat): rich, once again on bitter almonds, sour cherries and peppery bitter oranges. The whole thing is simple but very lovely, with plenty of body. With water: the cinnamon, ginger and cardamom return. The PX cask was seriously active. Finish: long. Comments: big cask impact, but the balance has been preserved. Only just, but preserved, almost miraculously.
SGP:461 - 86 points.

Come on, one last one…

Secret Speyside 50 yo 1975/2025 (48.6%, Lucky Choice for The Antelope, refill American oak, cask #6368)

It’s completely bonkers that independent bottlers from the greater Hong Kong bay area should somehow be obliged not to display the name of the original distillery on a 50-year-old malt. That says a lot, in my opinion, about a few slightly tone-deaf and certainly a tad pretentious Scottish brands that still seem to think, or hope, they’re living in pre-Covid times. Good luck to them in the near future. Colour: gold. Nose: what strikes you immediately is an almost incredible freshness and liveliness, very much on some fifty different kinds of apples, and we’re barely exaggerating, then bitter almonds, lemongrass and a very faint shampoo-and-flowers side, strictly nothing troublesome here, almost the opposite in fact. Mouth: oh, but this is very good, with a trio of earths, resins and lemons of the highest order, even if you can feel the old cask lurking in the background, which is only normal at this age. Then fir buds, orgeat syrup, blood orange liqueur, and cinnamon. Finish: quite long, spicier, cinnamon, orange peel, Japanese roasted tea, tannicity… Comments: a slightly bonkers old malt indeed, a little tired here and there, but still well above 95% of its brethren of all ages. That’s life, what can you do…
SGP:361 - 90 points.

Many more soon...

Check the index of all secret malts we've tasted