From the ‘Roger’s Hidden Treasures’ series. These are all single-cask limited edition whiskies. First in this series is this 8-year-old from a renowned Speyside distillery, with a very limited outturn of just 285 bottles.
This 8yo from a ‘renowned Speyside distillery’, had an outturn of just 285 bottles and was bottled at 56.1%. It was bottled at an age of exactly 8 years on the 1st of April 2021. Each bottle is hand numbered and is non-chill filtered and not coloured.
Distilled on April 1st 2013 and laid to mature in an ex-bourbon cask with number 5254.
Appearance: Straw/diluted apple juice. An upside-down crown forms around the glass when swirled. Made up of numerous small teardrops, all of which slowly stink and morph into an oozy corrugated film of medium trails.
Nose: The ABV is carried well, it’s evident but not overpowering. A mixture of icing sugar, sweet spices and orchard fruit notes, all well balanced.
Then there is buttery caramel, malty digestive biscuits, a subtle berry sharpness, vanilla and some oak.
Sugary mint, like Polo’s, linger in the background. It’s all going on with this one.
Palate: A nice viscous mouthfeel. Immediate black pepper, cinnamon and aniseed spice, but with a layer of mild caramel and vanilla cream.
The fruit side comes through from the second sip, in the form of those orchard fruits and some berries. The spice element grows to a mild chilli tingle, balancing nicely against the sugary notes.
There are some oak spices swirling around, bringing a little dryness and astringency.
Finish: The sweet spices, oak and vanilla cream notes linger for a medium amount of time. The dryness also lasts. Given how prominent the hotter spices became on the palate, they fade before the finish and make way for the lighter sweeter elements.
Overall: I really like this one. I prefer the Campbeltown but this is still a banger of a dram and well worth investigating.
There’s so much to explore and the balance is all really well done. I could do without the astringency, but it’s really subtle, so not an issue at all.
Image credit: Roger’s Whisky Company
