
May 12, 2026

WF's Little Duos,
today, two not-so-secret Speysiders in sherry

Let’s just say the chances that these are malts which, despite having possibly been teaspooned, come from a distillery whose name begins like the surname of a famous Beatle and ends like the start of the first name of a singer whose surname is Del Rey are rather high. Sorry for the bargain-bin riddle…

Blended Malt 25 yo 2000/2025 (51.2%, C. Dully Selection, sherry butt, cask #12, 200 bottles)

Colour: dark amber, this is very Macallan. Only joking. Nose: walnut wine and brown toast to begin, then milk chocolate and kougelhopf. A touch of malt extract and a drop of stout, then roasted raisins and prunes, with a faint armagnacqy side. With water: beef jerky, fruitcake, a little pipe tobacco. Mouth (neat): rather oily, reminding us of the 10 yo cask strength from some twenty years ago. Back come the slightly burnt raisins, prunes, cakes that are themselves a tad overdone, malt, nocino, then cracked pepper. With water: the pepper tends to take the upper hand, the walnuts become more bitter, the beer too, all this works rather well if you enjoy bitterness. Finish: long, bitter, dry, very oloroso. Salty touch in the aftertaste, combining perfectly with the walnuts. Comments: if we wanted to provoke a little, we might say this is more “M” than the official “Ms”, except naturally the older official versions from the days when the house kept insisting on the exclusive use of sherry casks (unlike the other distilleries, etc etc etc).
SGP:461 - 89 points.

Marketing Malt 20 yo 2005/2025 (57.1%, Decadent Drams, Speyside single malt, 1st fill European oak sherry butts, 612 bottles)

Colour: amber. Nose: I believe it is indeed the European oak that’s brought all these varnishy and acetone-like notes, almost in the style of a young bourbon. I know, what I write is not terribly coherent, but all that vaguely American oakiness gradually fades away, making room instead for massive kirsch, the sort of kirsch that might have been matured in wood. Quite a lot of balsamic vinegar too. With water: the varnishes and vinegars return to centre stage. Mouth (neat): much more classic now, on peppery sherry, sour cherries, pipe tobacco, slivovitz, young armagnac… It’s almost the United Nations in your glass. With water: there we are, it has landed at last, on pepper, Corinth raisins, chocolate and slightly acidic coffee. Finish: long, drier now, herbaceous, with cooked green peppers and leather. Comments: very slight preference for the increased classicism of the 2000, but we remain broadly in the same territory. In truth it is entertaining and excellent.
SGP:461 - 88 points.

In any case, they’re very old-school. In some respects, they also brings to mind Signatory’s ‘M’ series.

WF's Little Duos, today, two not-so-secret Speysiders in sherry

WF's Little Duos,
today, two not-so-secret Speysiders in sherry