Inchmurrin 1996 21yo (Secret Spirits)

Today’s penultimate whisky in the advent calendar is an Inchmurrin. This is a single cask Highland whisky that was distilled in 1996, aged 21 years in a sherry hogshead, then bottled by Secret Spirits in 2007.

Only one whisky remains. Tune in tomorrow for my Christmas Day whisky review, and my overall thoughts about this calendar having finished it.

This is part of a series of blind tastings from the “The Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar 5th Edition” advent calendar. I do not know what is in the calendar, so every one of these reviews is 100% no prior knowledge.

1. Macduff 2003 14yo (Single Cask Nation)
2. Wemyss Wooden Chest
3. Lost Distillery Company Auchnagie Classic
4. Glen Moray 2008 9yo #5764 (Secret Spirits)
5. Craigellachie 12yo 2006 Cask Strength (Secret Spirits)
6. Exclusive Malts Islay Sherry Cask (Laphroaig)
7. Adelphi Breath of Speyside 2006 (11yo)
8. Balmenach 2004 13yo (Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask)
9. Glen Moray 2007 10yo (A.D. Rattray)
10. Royal Brackla 2006 11yo (Secret Spirits)
11. Wemyss Delicious Burst
12. Lost Distillery Company Stratheden Classic
13. Auchinderom - Peated Glenglassaugh (Malt Whisky Company)
14. Knockdhu 2009 9yo (A.D. Rattray)
15. Caol Ila 2009 9yo (Secret Spirits)
16. Wemyss Nectar Grove
17. Glentauchers 2008 10yo (Secret Spirits)
18. Glenallachie 2009 9yo (Secret Spirits)
19. Williamson (Laphroaig) 2005 13yo (A.D. Rattray)
20. Stones of Stenness Orkney Aged 18yo (Single Cask Nation)
21. Inchgower 1995 21yo (Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask)
22. Towiemore Archivist (Lost Distillery Company)
23. North British 1988 30yo (A.D. Rattray)
24. Inchmurrin 1996 21yo (Secret Spirits)
25. Glen Grant 1988 30yo (A.D. Rattray)

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Distiller: Inchmurrin
Bottler: Secret Spirits
Distilled: 1996
Bottled: 2017
ABV: 45.2%
Age: 21yo
Cask type: Sherry Hogshead
Source: Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar 5th Ed.
Setting: Blind

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Nose: Shortbread, pecan, aged cheese, grass, sugary banana, cinnamon, a plasticy funk. Vanilla cola.
Palate: Sharp, cheesy cheddar notes and the forefront, with an interestingly waxy mouthfeel.
Finish: That plastic funk lurking in the background overtakes the cheesiness, bringing with it the lying nuttiness and vanilla cream. There are some unique chalk and dust notes here.
Overall: Quite enjoyable for sitting and dissecting the funk notes. It tastes to me like a coastal speyside that has been bourbon-cask aged a reasonably long time and has taken a left turn into serious funk territory. After all, the theme for this calendar seems to be bourbon-cask speysides.
Rank: 6
Reveal: Sherry hogshead Highland! Well, I was a bit wrong then. I don’t get much sherry on the nose at all, interesting.