The fifth bottling from Taiwanese bottler The Whisky Blues (remember the Invergordon 1974) is this Secret Highland Malt 1987. A single malt from an undisclosed distillery.
Secret Highland Malt 31 yo 1987 (50,4%, The Whisky Blues 2019, hogshead #23, 79 btl.)
Nose: smooth and attractive. Fresh figs and fruit cake, with maple syrup and sweet berries. Light cedar wood. Wet stones and earthy / herbal tea. Maybe a dollop of honey.
Mouth: nice, with leathery notes and tobacco, as well as a mossy undertone and mint liqueur. Some spices and old wood. Liquorice. Perhaps the most rounded of these casks I’ve tried so far. Balanced sherry, nicely nutty but not at all over-aged. Nice hints of coffee beans towards the end.
Finish: long, gentle, with hints of tea and tobacco. Echoes of oranges too.
I love these old-style Highlanders, even though I have no clue. They have a certain unmodern sherry character and they bear age so well. Very good (and more to come from The Whisky Agency among others).