Little over a week ago the newest releases by WhiskyNerds were released. This time it’s a secret speyside and a Ledaig. Secret Speyside if often Glenfarclas, but as with most of these releases, a lot is based on assumption.

In this case it has the respectable age of 26 years old, and it was 1994 when it came out. The same year Kurt Cobain died, and since that’s over a quarter century old, I realize I am fucking old.

As with most (not all) WhiskyNerds bottlings, it immediately sold out and is now only to be found in the secondary market with almost a hundred bucks on top of the initial price.

Let’s just see what’s what and decide whether it’s likely this is Glenfarclas. But keep in mind, my skills at recognizing distilleries is hilariously bad.

Sniff:
A warm and bitter old scent, with stewed fruits, baking spices and smoldering embers in a hearth. Some shoe polish, moldy apples, wet corks, dunnage warehouses. Beeswax, honey and a whiff of pine needles.

Sip:
The palate is very gentle, but quite dry. After a few seconds there’s a bit of oaky warmth. There’s stewed orchard fruits with hints of cinnamon. Corks, dunnage warehouses again. Nice and warming, very old fashioned with old oak. Warm apple compote, hints of vanilla.

Swallow:
The finish is a lot more waxy than it was before. Beeswax, candle wax, honey. Very gentle, with some oak, stewed apples again. A little less funky, and a little less ‘old fashioned’.

Well, honestly, this is just great. It’s got great complexity and the combination of the waxiness, with the honey and stewed apples is great. I love the old fashioned scents of a dunnage warehouse with these old, moldy casks and wet soil.

That Glenfarclas question then: It could very well be. I think I’ve had whiskies from there that tastes somewhat like this, but not a lot. There might have been other distilleries that produce stuff that can rise to this level too. So, as always, not a clue.

91/100

Secret Speyside 26yo, 01/1994 – 03/2020, Hogshead, 48.1%, available for € 245 in the secondary market

Thanks to WhiskyNerds for the sample!