Here’s the limited Speyburn Solera Cask I was talking about yesterday. It was launched in 2008 after 25 years of maturation.
As you know, solera is the famous system of gradually blending (sherry) casks (in layers or criaderas) and it seems this Speyburn release was inspired on this type of maturation.
Now when I read “Solera” I would expect that it was mixed from a range of younger / older casks or at least the whisky was matured entirely in sherry casks, but in this case I think it was just some sort of “inspiration”. Even at the distillery they weren’t very clear about the actual reasoning behind the name.
Speyburn 25 yo ‘Solera cask’
(46%, OB 2011)
Speyburn 25 yo ‘Solera cask’Nose: quite mashy with a lot of waxy notes, heather and grasses. A surprise as I was expecting oloroso sherry and this doesn’t have an obvious sherry influence (well… there’s some dry manzanilla character). Dry walnuts. Quite fragrant but its style is more akin to the Highlands than to the traditional Speyside theme. Faint hints of vanilla and some toffee help it not to become too austere.
Mouth: more rounded and a little sweeter, with a full taste and pleasant texture. Again quite some malty notes together with hints of herbs / grasses / tea. Oak spices. Waxy notes. A little lemon zest.
Finish: long, with more malt, herbs and dry walnuts.
Certainly a confident malt, with a pleasant character, but the ‘Solera’ title might be disappointing when you’re expecting to find an obvious sherry influence. Around € 100 which is an interesting price of course compared to other 25 year-olds.
Score: 83/100