Secret Speyside 2008, 15 years old, Faultline/K&L SP, 55%
Faultline is K&L’s private label. This is a 15-year-old Speyside Scotch. As per the website, it’s mentioned that it’s either Glenrothes or Macallan (or not, or a mix of the two—who knows). The cask is almost guaranteed to be ex-bourbon, with the color of fresh straw. The nose is very typical of the Speyside style: orchard fruits. The palate is gentle despite the proof—dried biscuits, toasted grains, perhaps some walnut skins, burnt honey. The aftertaste is mellow malt, a touch of near-bitter barrel char, and baking spices that linger for quite a while.
Overall: Surprisingly enjoyable. A good blend of malt and cask that’s not overwhelming, yet brings a good amount of character into the glass. It is not mind-blowing, yet very enjoyable at the end of the day.
Value: At 50!? For 15-year-old malt? YES!
This: https://shop.klwines … ucts/details/1840739
Score: B+
Cameronbridge 12, SigVin/K&L SP, Single Grain Scotch 62.9%
SigVin stands for Signatory Vintage, of course. Aged for 12 years in a 1st fill bourbon barrel. This is potent from the bottle. The nose is a mix of cask spices and rubbing alcohol, reminding me somewhat of a light cologne or a fancy aftershave. After some time in the glass, some ripe bananas and tropical fruit notes show up… but it doesn’t become any less potent. The palate starts sweet, then quickly swings into fairly intense and somewhat funky young distillate, toasted oak notes, then changes again into intense chili peppers and baking spices backed by strong alcohol. The finish is medium-short and mostly a combination of sweetness and those chili peppers fading away. Some water relieves the intensity but amplifies that somewhat yeasty funk. Water is recommended—but with caution.
Overall: An oxymoronic cask that, by all accounts, should never have been tasting as good as it is. It’s got its shortcomings for sure, but it’s a fun one.
Value: At $40, this was still a gamble… but even then, it’s hard to lament such a low price.
This: https://shop.klwines … ucts/details/1789691
Score: B-
Courage & Conviction 6, Fino Sherry, K&L SP, 60.5%
An American malt here, picked by Brendan P, cask #1718, aged its entire life in a fino sherry cask. If you’re not familiar, fino sherry is a very dry sherry—rather than the typical sweetness one would expect from other sherry examples. A side note: I’m a little sad they either stopped including neck ribbons, or my particular bottle didn’t get one. Let’s dig in! The nose has strong alcohol, herbal notes, and dry toasted wood dominating, backed by some sort of dried fruit leather. The palate is quite dry and oddly gentle, coming in from a reasonably rough nose. We’ve got almond nuttiness, herbs, some chili spices, and burnt vanilla that’s not too sweet. The aftertaste lingers with drying herb notes and more chili almonds—more specifically, drying, toasted almond skins.
Overall: Fans of very good sherry bombs that aren’t too sweet should apply. This gives some of the best (heavily sherried) Scotch a run for its money. Dry, punchy, malty, herbaceous, nutty—it’s got it all. Very good one for sure. Do note that it does need a moment to open up in the glass, and to be fair, that nose… is a touch disjointed from the rest.
Value: Ooooh boy… I picked it up on clearance for 25% off the original. Though I’d been watching it like a hawk for a while, I snagged it as soon as it went on sale. Somewhat of a break-even compared to its competition at the original MSRP of $100—if there are plenty of bottles in the backlog, definite buy on discount.
This: https://shop.klwines … ucts/details/1719095
Score: B+
A side-by-side:
Balvenie 15, Original Bottling, Single Cask #1570, 47.8%
Did I mention I like my Balvenie? This is a single cask from the distillery, dated 28/01/98 – 08/11/13, and aged in a bourbon cask. Okay, look, it’s an older Balvenie from when the quality was simply stellar. Toasted vanilla honey on the nose, very slightly metallic with dried red apple skins. The palate is somewhat gentle, offering more of those toasted almond skins, maltiness, cereal notes, orange rind, some vanilla, and a velvety texture. Surprisingly not too sweet or fruity for a Speyside malt—this one leans more into a toasted, roasted grains profile. A long aftertaste turns into prominent cask spices and finishes with a touch of chili cinnamon.
Overall: Extremely enjoyable, if a touch spicy for a casual drinker bottling. I wouldn’t describe this as a “smooth” drink, but more of a spicy snack. Though, add a little touch of water and it smooths out into a stunningly approachable pour for anyone.
Value: N/A due to being a legacy bottle.
Score: B+
vs
The Huntley (Balvenie) 25, K&L SP, Faultline, 51.2%
An oddball side-by-side, considering the 10 years of aging difference here. This is an independently bottled 25-year-old single cask from 1998, aged in a sherry hogshead. I’ll note that this isn’t super dark—almost matching the ex-bourbon cask above—so very likely a refill or second-fill cask. The nose has dried oranges dominating orchard apple-pears, with the alcohol giving it all a warm hug. The palate starts out sherry-sweet but very quickly veers into prominent dry baking spices and chili peppers, somewhat spoiling the enjoyment by overwhelming the palate. There’s some sort of jam and herbaceousness to this experience that lingers for a while in the aftertaste too. Water thankfully takes some of the edge off and brings in rather notable orange oil notes, allowing the toasted wood to let its presence be known after hiding well—considering the age.
Overall: This is a multilayered, highly complex, spicy, and interesting bottle. I feel it benefits from a few drops of water to tone down the intensity that fights with the complexity.
Value: Priced at $250, I’ve not bought it myself—because I’m poor—but it’s certainly no slouch on the “reasonable” value side, especially considering how much comparable Balvenie OBs go for.
This: https://shop.klwines … ucts/details/1840740
Score: A-
So, the sherried Balvenie OB won… But, also, come on! It’s a sherried Balvenie 25! Jokes aside, it may not have been a truly fair side by side due to cask types and age, but I’ll call myself the winner cause I got to try both. Ultimately, one is somewhat casually enjoyable pour for a lighter weather and the other one is more complex and contemplative for deep thoughts in front of a fireplace.
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Scoring Breakdown: https://www.aerin.or … age=scores_breakdown