Michiel Wigman has released two new Scotch single malts, and they couldn’t have been more different.
The first is a Macduff 2011 10 Years that has matured in a (refill) sherry hogshead. The second is a Secret Islay 2011 10 Years from a Port barrique, which is a joint bottling with The Malt Affair in Singapore. The artwork and design on the labels of these has been done by Hans Dilesse.
Macduff 2011 10 Years (52.3%, Michiel Wigman, 194 bts.)
Nose: A hit of furniture polish, burlap, mush bananas and light floral touches accompanied by a whiff of ginger, cloves and nutmeg. There’s room for some sultanas too, as well some apricots and gentle apple notes. Very subtle and well-integrated.
Taste: Bonus point for a very creamy mouthfeel. The arrival is spicy with cloves, ginger and nutmeg again, but there are also sweet touches of fudge, beeswax and sultanas. A whiff of mint, but also shortbread.
Finish: The comforting oak influence and spices linger for a decent while.
Secret Islay 2011 10 Years (53.3%, Michiel Wigman, 200 bts.)
Nose: Meaty and savoury. Beef jerky, smoked paprika powder, bacon and red berries. Also textbook sweet peat with a nice salinity, nori and cranberries as well. Finally somewhat earthy with a touch of minerals, sage and other herbs. Becomes more medicinal with time.
Taste: Pickled lemons, herbs and even some light floral notes. That’s slightly different. There’s charcoal, a pinch of salt, medicinal touches and peat smoke as well, but those are less of a surprise. Also some star anise and burlap.
Finish: Herbal with sweet peat smoke, rubber and some gentle red fruits. Long.
Final Thoughts
I can’t really decide how much I like the Secret Islay 2010 11 Years from Michiel Wigman. And that’s mostly because of the palate, because I really enjoyed nosing this. And honestly, I quite enjoyed tasting it as well. That sample was gone before I knew it, in large part because it made me curious. It’s certainly different and maybe the synergy between cask and spirit wasn’t the best. But I guess that may just also have been what made it interesting.
There’s no doubt in my mind about the quality of the Macduff. It is just honest whisky with a lovely fruity, waxy base. The sherry cask had to have been a refill, because its influence was moderate and light, but certainly present. Both the Macduff and Secret Islay are available from Michiel’s webshop.
Samples provided by Michiel Wigman
Photos: Bestofwhiskies.com
