Roger’s Hidden Treasures
Campbeltown Blended Malt 2015
Another Hidden Treasures bottle, so the origins of the spirit must remain a secret! What I can reveal is that this is coming from Campbeltown and was such a smooth treat that I wanted to bring it to you already! It’s a blended malt as rumour has it that there’s just a little bit of other whisky in this cask.
Available right now in the UK and EU, see Retailers for the full list.
The story of this whisky
The label
This is the second bottle in my Hidden Treasures series. The origins of the casks in this series must remain a secret, but I really would like you to feel like you’re holding a treasure when picking up one of these bottles.
Linked with my fascination for ancient civilisations you can imagine I enjoy being able to bring this together in a golden bottling series. The Campbeltown region will from now on also be associated with the ancient Greek civilisation!
My friend Andrew (@whiskyhobo on insta) did a great job on designing the label with the artwork!
The whisky
A blended malt that is made up of single malt from the Campbeltown region in Scotland. So the distillery really wanted the origins of this whisky obscured. However there are only three working distilleries on Campbeltown, so as a minimum one out of three guesses should be correct!
The spirit was laid down in the cask very early in 2015, and bottled in the summer of 2021.
There were only 364 bottles filled from the cask. Each bottle is hand numbered. Of course the whisky is non-chill filtered and not coloured. The whisky is bottled at a strength of 54%, in my opinion the best strength for enjoying this particular whisky after tasting it extensively.
What others are saying…
Amir Ellituv
@whiskyrabbi
Roger has a phenomenal attention to detail, his bottles are pieces of art, you want to keep them on the front row of your cabinet, and with his hidden treasures range you have another magnificent label, brilliant. When Roger announced that he is going to produce a Campbeltown blended whisky, I got extremely excited, lets see what is on offer.
Nose: Chocolatey, musty, nutmegy, I feel as if I am in a bonded warehouse in Campbeltown, let try this gold.
Taste: very spicy, slightly peaty, afternotes of chocolate, coming in waves, together with more spices, and on your tongue you feel the after chilli kick, add water and you just get more spice to it, its fun, but not one for the faint hearted. The two people on the label are probably wondering to themselves, they don’t know what they are in for, and certainly Roger delivers with a rollercoaster of spice, and hotness, and an experience enjoyable to those who wish to be tested and challenged, thank you.
Peter @whiskypeater
Dutch Whisky Brothers
Nose: Soft vanilla with citrus, pecan nuts and a little saltiness.
Taste: Lovely body, a bit sweet but not too sweet. The vanilla returns, chocolate cake and a hint of fresh wet grass.
Finish: relatively short, I think this is a nice after dinner whisky.
Score: 86
Thijs Klaverstijn
Words of Whisky
It's pretty naked and the cask is not always in the driver's seat, which is a plus compared to another young Glen Scotia I've tried recently.
Nose: Notes of draff and fermented mash alongside vanilla custard, lime zest, golden kiwifruit and some wet pebbles. Touches of hazelnuts and roasted almonds, as well as love hearts. Gets sweeter with time.
Taste: A gentle, yet peppery arrival with plenty of vanilla extract and a little icing sugar, followed by pot ale and walnut skins. Finally some burnt toast and grassy notes.
Finish: Subtle whiffs of mint, with lingering quince and grainy pears.
Score: 81
Roger’s tasting notes:
Nose:
Initally fresh, a bit grassy, orange zest with maple syrup waffles. This one really appreciates some time in the glass and changes, bringing very interesting new flavours. Fantastic chocolately sweetness, nutella!, milk chocolate and hazelnut. After 30 minutes in the glass: literally an explosion of nutella, almost unbelievable!
Taste:
Super smooth and rounded, superbly integrated. Just a touch peppery, as how I like my whisky. Orange peel, tangerine juice coming into the mix. And that chocolaty vibe again.
Finish:
Dark chocolate, cacoa nibs, tangerine juice, and very long for a young whisky like this.