A couple of weeks ago Sansibar presented a Secret Highland Malt 1983 bottled exclusively for DeinWhisky.de. It is a single malt whisky, coming from an undisclosed distillery.
It was originally on sale for € 320 but soon they found out that bottles were traded on the secondary market at a considerably higher price. I think they took an unexpected but really interesting decision: they are selling the last remaining bottles at a “special price”. It’s now € 400 – less than what some people ask for it – and they’ll donate € 100 to a local school support association. Good solution, I guess.
Secret Highland Malt 36 yo 1983 (51,2%, Sansibar ‘Clans label’ for DeinWhisky.de 2020, hogshead, 239 btl.)
Nose: really great beeswax, with a slight chalky note, sunflower oil and stewed fruits. Mirabelles, pears and hints of almonds, as well as dried yellow flowers. Just a light sharpness of mustard seeds and metal polish, making this rather old-school. Leafy / mossy touches as well. A great nose that will keep you busy for a long time.
Mouth: really oily, even slightly industrial (in a good way). Old metals, resinous notes, mint leaves and dried herbs. Very subtle sooty notes too. Still some mirabelles and orange peels in the background, with light honey and sweetened fruit tea. After a while there’s a bit of peppery oak, mixing with cocoa before it gets back to resin and wax.
Finish: quite long, with lingering fruits, honey and herbs.
A waxy, herbal, even slightly sooty profile that seems to take us to the 1970s or even further back. Rather subtle but beautifully layered – truly excellent. People seem to whisper this is Clynelish but that’s not easy to confirm. As I said, still available from DeinWhisky.de. Please buy from them instead of supporting flippers.
Update: sold out already, sorry…