Secret Speyside 13 Year Old - 82 Chapters to Newcastle (Creatures of Cask Strength)
Floral, Nutty, Hay Like2022-07-02
A total of 259 bottles are the result of the first fill bourbon cask with which something naughty must have happened. Because otherwise, how would they have gotten these flavours into the Whisky? Bottled at cask strength, the Single Malt Whisky with the unicorn can also be enjoyed slightly diluted with water.
Smell
Vanilla and lemon balm start off. Quickly followed by feta cheese with Mediterranean herbs (WTF?!) and almonds. Wild forest honey and light white wine notes top off this incredibly pleasant and deliciously scented Speysider.
Water: The sweetish aromas become more pronounced. More vanilla, creamy, slightly grassy.
Taste
Now that is a strong character. The mouth fills with caramel syrup, butter biscuits and ladyfingers. An interesting turn to fir wood and coniferous forest follows. There are red berries and dark dried fruits in the background. Somewhere on the forest floor lies a tiny orange hidden and apparently green tea has also been spilled (WTF again?!).
Water: More pleasant to drink. The flavours spread out and are more recognisable.
Finish
In the finish, strong red dark fruits and light hay notes remain in between. Dry - and long.
Water: Not delicate, as one would expect, but still very powerful, intense, and layered.
Thoughts
Cask strength is very beneficial to the Whisky. The 13-year-old is incredibly powerful, very well balanced and has some really interesting flavours that we would not have expected from a Speysider matured in a bourbon cask.
It's perfect for the time of year when the spiders start crawling out of the corners and you sit on the garden bench snuggled up in a woollen blanket.
Take a look at the guys' homepage. Even if there's nothing to buy at the moment (except a rum), the texts are always good for a laugh. The podcast episode with Hadrian by @4plus1_podcast is also great.