Friday, 1 March 2024

Secret Orkney 2006 M. Wigman & The Malt Affair 16 yo

 
 
 
52,9°
Distillery Officially Unknown - Islands
Bourbon Cask 
Independent Bottling 
By Michiel Wigman 
Limited Edition 
Single Cask 
Bottled in 2022
Cask Strength
Peated around 20 ppm



Michiel Wigman is a little-known but highly reputed bottler on the market. He has only made around thirty bottlings in the last 5 years, but all of them are sought-after, particularly his They Inspired range. Here we have a cask from an unknown distillery based on the island of Orkney, but everyone knows it's Highland Park. For the occasion, Michiel Wigman has teamed up with The Malt Affair, a Singapore-based distributor. Officially, the nature of the cask is not known, but I can safely say that it is a Bourbon cask, probably a 2nd fill. I haven't been able to confirm anywhere that it's not cold-filtered or coloured, but I'd be very surprised if it were. 130 bottles are on sale, and the label was designed by Hans Dill.




Let's Taste It : 
A rough nose of dusty, medicinal peat, freshly ploughed earth, modelling clay, opening up to a lovely woody patina, royal jelly, brioche, vanilla and lemon crystals. Slightly floral, heather, thyme and rosemary. Rose Loukoum, icing sugar. Velvety on the palate, clove-like, heavy with vanilla and peat, the spices are virulent, lychee juice. Long finish, with a beautiful explosiveness, hazelnuts and chestnuts, shortbread biscuits, tiny touch of bitterness, intense wood, smokiness. Resin.

In Short, 
A totally typical Highland Park, you can recognise the distillery's profile without hesitation, more Highland Park than that, I don't know. On the nose, the peat is quite strong, but it evaporates after a while. It's a very good product, and if you're a fan of the distillery, I'd advise you to look for it, it's still available on certain websites. Please note that the price varies considerably.
Score : 89









                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :
 
                                           Robert Jon & The Wreck - Ballad of a Broken Hearted Man

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