Secret Distillery No. 1 9 Year Old 2008 LMDW (Glenfarclas) Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky 500mL

Batch 5 is a release of 900 bottles from That Boutique-y Whisky Company

This label depicts someone sneaking into the warehouse of this mystery distillery (Glenfarclas).

"Of course we have no proof that this is Glenfarclas, but after a good few drams and quite some laughs and banter, people start to talk…" - Serge, Whisky Fun

Without austerity and with a nobility that commands respect, this sherry-cask bottling distilled in 2008 wonderfully embodies the elegant, complex, slender and powerful style of a single malt that never takes the easy way out.

Profile: The well-balanced initial nose is characterized by notes of caramel and bitter orange. Allowed to breathe, it becomes exotic (mango, guava) and spicy (pepper, cinnamon). The deep attack is nobly malty and lush (rosemary, thyme). Red fruit (Morello cherry, pomegranate) brings freshness to the end of the palate. The silky finish is vanilla and herbaceous (gentian). The retro- nasal olfaction is tertiary (mushroom, date, tobacco).

Nose: Slender, balanced. Notes of salted butter caramel and bitter orange carry the initial nose. This is then enriched with polish, exotic fruit (mango, guava), red fruit (strawberry, raspberry) and gooseberry. With warmth, it gradually becomes spicy (pepper, cinnamon) and liquorice. New ripe fruits (Mirabelle plum, pear) appear.

Palate: rich, deep. At first, a spicy register seizes the palate and lends huge momentum to the start of the palate. Then, with rediscovered serenity, the mid-palate is exotic (banana, pineapple) and nobly malty. The end of the palate is herbaceous and lush (rosemary, bay leaf, thyme). Red fruits resurface (Morello cherry, pomegranate).

Overall: long, silky. Hugely delicate vanilla and praline tannins envelop the taste buds. Malted barley enters into play, bringing a fruity (pear, apple), spicy (cinnamon) and herbaceous (gentian) register. The retro-nasal olfaction is characterised by notes of tobacco, mushroom and dried fruit.

The empty glass is spiced, roasted and delicately woody (Cypress, eucalyptus).