Roger’s Vintage Selection
Secret Speyside 2008 13 Year Old
This new addition to the Vintage Selection range is something special indeed. Coming from a well-known “sherry whisky distillery”, this singular bourbon matured cask forms an intrigueing contrast.
Available right now, see Retailers for the full list.
The story of this whisky
The whisky
This new addition to the Vintage Selection range is something special indeed. Firstly this cask is from a distillery that is not often seen as an independent bottling. Secondly, this distillery is well known for its heavily sherry matured whiskies, but the cask that I bottled here is totally different as it is bourbon cask matured.
The spirit was distilled and filled in the cask on the 3rd of December in 2008. It was bottled at an age of 13 years, and there were 283 bottles filled from the cask. Of course the whisky is non-chill filtered and not coloured. The whisky is bottled at a strength of 52.3% vol.
The label
Unfortunately the name of the distillery may not be disclosed on the label, but I made up for that by recreating a recognisable feature of the distillery on the label. And also the colours should give something away… Can you guess the distillery?
My friend Andrew (@whiskyhobo on insta) again did the label art, keeping a clear and consistent style.
What others are saying…
Amir Ellutiv
@whiskyrabbi
Nose: At the beginning you get notes of peaches, melons, citrus, and then the nose turns to caramel, leather, and notes of vanilla creme brulee. Magical. Really looking forward to dive in.
Taste: It is oily, smooth, fresh, sweet, Lightly Honeyed, slightly spicy, but as you leave it to air the taste is spicier, but still maintaining its sweetness. Spiced pears, cloves, and black pepper are coming to my mind.
The finish is warming and makes you want to have more.
Roger you have a knack of knowing what cask to choose. The label as always is quality, which matches the dram.
Thijs Klaverstijn
Words of Whisky
Nose: Fruit basket. Stewed apples, whitecurrant and pears with a tinge of orange marmalade, as well as a slight chalky touch. Also warming vanilla, honeyed porridge, mush banana and a whiff of ozone.
Taste: A waxy mouthfeel and an arrival highlighted by white pepper, ginger and cloves. Also some subtle herbs, mint and coconut shavings, along with meringue and biscuits.
Finish: Lingering fruits. The stewed apples make an encore, followed by Galia melon.
Can’t quite deliver the fruity promise of the nose, although the finish makes up for it. Won’t call it accessible per se, but there’s an intrigue here that captures my attention.
Score: 86
Noortje Baselmans
Whiskylifestyle
Nose: cookie dough mixed with fresh lemon juice. Pears. Some vanilla custard and a touch of oats. A hint of grass. Then it somehow reminds me of apple strudel. Later also oranges, followed by almonds.
Taste: vanilla and lemons at first. Tea biscuits, oats. A hint of caramel. Pears and apples. Sweet grapefruit and a hint of green grapes. Then there is a bit of white pepper and ginger.
Finish: mid-long with vanilla, oranges, marzipan and a touch of white pepper.
Despite being 13 years old, it still feels a bit young in some respects and misses a little bit of oomph. But all in all, it’s a nice whisky that will certainly work well with the warm weather.
Score: 85
Roger’s tasting notes:
Nose: toasted almonds, marzipan, a slice of orange. Shortbread, ripe pear and a distinct creaminess in the nose.
Taste: Red sweet grape juice, cacao nibs, caramelized sugar. Extremely well rounded.