Contrary to almost all bottlings by Michiel Wigman, this is an official bottling done for him, instead of an indie bottling done by the man himself. To stay in line with the whisky icons of the ‘They Inspired III’ series, this one shows Jon Beach on the back label.

One of the legends that I actually know a bit better after spending quite some nights (and money) at Fiddler’s in Drumnadrochit. Of course, there was also Maltstock a few times, and random shenanigans on the way there and back.

Unfortunately, it has been a couple of years since I’ve been over there. I’ve been to Scotland, just not in the vicinity of Loch Ness, except for once when Jon wasn’t home.

Anyway, the whisky then. A decent age, and a cask that I would normally not go for. Wine casks are a bit too unpredictable. However, with Michiel doing the selection, a few hurdles have already been taken. Let’s dive in!

Sniff:
It’s definitely Irish in style, but the wine casks adds a crisp note. A wine gum like sweetness on top of oatmeal porridge. Pear drops too.

Sip:
The palate is initially quite gentle, but does add a bit of bite after a couple of seconds. There’s sweetness here too, but far from the wine gum style on the palate. More like grapes, pineapples on syrup. A twig like bitterness is there to keep it all well balanced.

Swallow:
A long finish that builds on the palate with a note of pastry, and gives more of a sweeter wine and grape note too.

Well balanced and lots of lovely flavors to discover. With both the wine and the Irish style adding a bit of sweetness, the bitter note on the palate is very well countered. Lovely stuff indeed, one for the wish list!

89/100

Available from Dutch Whisky Connection for € 195