Velvet Fig 25 Year Old (Wemyss)

Velvet Fig 25 Year Old was recently launched by Wemyss Malts as a Cask Club exclusive, only available through their website.

As a premium follow-up to the regular blended malt Velvet Fig, it celebrates the 15th anniversary of the independent bottler. They are quite open about the composition:

• 5 casks of 1994 vintage whisky from undisclosed Highland and Speyside distilleries
• 15 casks of unpeated Bunnahabhain 1988 from sherry casks

These 20 casks were blended in 2019 and married in 14 refill sherry hogsheads for a total of 16 months. What you’re getting is 25 years old, but the majority is actually over 30 years of age.

Velvet Fig 25 yo (42,3%, Wemyss Malts ‘Cask Club’ 2019)

Nose: nice and juicy, with lots of fruit jams. Blackcurrant, raspberry and figs indeed. Raisins in armagnac. Also hints of maraschino cherry and rose petals, giving it a certain volatile aroma, great. Honeysuckle honey and a little minty oak as well. Beautiful.

Mouth: fresh and classy sherry notes again, but also a more weighty character from the Bunnahabhain spirit. A lot of fruitcake, orange liqueur, milk chocolate and raisins aplenty. Cinnamon and a little ginger from the oak. It manages to combine lighter and darker notes in a nice way.

Finish: quite long, still remarkably fresh given the full-on sherry maturation. Cinnamon, kirsch and oaky touches.

Very good. Clean and nicely aromatic sherry, well balanced with the rather full-bodied spirit. Happy anniversary! Also available from Master of Malt or The Whisky Exchange.

Score: 88/100