The Whisky Jury is five years old. They’ve been teasing us for a while and then it turned out there was another Secret Speyside 1990. A sister cask of the ones they released some time ago. At the same time there was another undisclosed single malt, a Secret Islay 1989.
Secret Speyside 33 yo 1990 (51,2%, The Whisky Jury 2024, refill sherry cask, 159 btl.)
Nose: relaxed sherry, not too heavy. There are red apples, hints of cherry syrup and old leather. Then some mocha and cinnamon, along with dried herbs. Some praline. Acacia honey, as well as a light greasy touch. There’s an underlying layer of old wood – everything very well balanced.
Mouth: spicy, autumnal sherry with sweet and sour notes. Hints of eucalyptus and ginger, along with sultanas, red plums and stewed peaches. Also orange peels and hints of cognac. Light waxy / resinous touches with leathery notes. Then cinnamon again, with herbal tea and a pinch of pepper.
Finish: long, on sweet spice, herbal honey, raisins and leather.
In line with the previous sister casks from the same distillery. All in all a very mature, refined and elegant single malt. Complex, highly drinkable and a perfect profile for wintertime. In short, a fitting 5th anniversary bottling. Retailers can be found on the TWJ website.
Secret Islay 34 yo 1989 (51,8%, The Whisky Jury 2024, refill bourbon cask, 248 btl.)
Nose: plenty of dried herbs, rapeseed oil, linoleum and creosote. Then seashells, bandages and a lovely muddy / farmy kind of peat smoke. Slightly sharper iodine and lemon peel in the background. Smoked almond and engine oil too.
Mouth: half fruity, half coastal. Seawater, smoked lemons and pink grapefruit. Vegetal peat, with tobacco and a hint of roasted coffee beans. Oysters with pepper, along with green olives, green herbs and leathery notes. Then some umami notes mixed with grilled pineapple – a beautiful mix.
Finish: fairly long, with liquorice, mentholated fruits and medicinal notes.
Admittedly not a big surprise, this one. It reaches the same heights as the Islay Malt 1989 bottled for the third anniversary. We’ve already praised the complexity and refined Islay profile: excellent stuff. Score: 92/100