Michiel planned to do another two releases this year, and right after he emailed the participants that he couldn’t find casks of a high enough quality, these two popped up, so here they are. Or at least, here’s one of them. The other one (a 15 year old Longmorn) will pop up tomorrow or the day after.

This secret Orkney, which of course isn’t that secret at all, since this definitely isn’t Scapa, is Highland Park. A 19 year old one, nonetheless.

Michiel was kind enough to send me a sample since these don’t have to be labeled as the regular bottles do. So, tasting notes before the bottles are even on their way.

Sniff:
Timid with heather, straw, some honey. Earthy with some minerals, apple and slate. There’s a slight savory note too, hammy, even. Some sweetness, with a whiff of heathery smoke.

Sip:
Dry, with a bit more heathery smoke than on the palate. Honey sweetness, with stewed apple, straw and oak. A hint of hessian, apple cores.

Swallow:
It’s lingering with some black pepper heat too. Oak, apple, heather, honey.

A 19 year old whisky is by no means a young whisky, but this tastes even more mature than it actually is. There’s a proper ‘old’ note in it, because of the depth of flavor. I expect this also has to do with the cask not being overly active and therefore having a better balance between wood and spirit.

This hits home in every which way, I love the apply notes with the more heavy notes of earth, straw and heather. Exceptional whisky.

90/100

Secret Orkney 19yo, 04/1999-06/2019, Hogshead 93, 51.9%, Michiel Wigman, They Inspired 1. Available at Dutch Whisky Connection for € 177

Thanks to Michiel for sending the sample!