Speyside Region 1973 43 Years Old (The Whisky Agency)
Thank god these undisclosed whiskies from Speyside are actually that, meaning undisclosed. If bottlers had been able to put a distillery name on the label, the price of these would’ve been multiplied by a lot. Although, I don’t think most of them know from what distillery their bottlings come anyway.
I’ve had a few very good ones in the last year or so, but many more have been released than I have tasted. When someone did a bottle share a while back (I forgot who, sorry) of some of these, I just had to participate. That’s where this sample of the Speyside Region 1973 43 Years Old from The Whisky Agency comes from. Matured in sherry wood, although it’s not quite clear what type of sherry wood exactly.
Speyside Region 1973 43 Years Old (52,4%, The Whisky Agency, 320 bts.)
Nose: Hello fruit bowl! Orchard fruits such as apples and pears, accompanied by mango, mandarine and peach. There’s also apricot marmalade and lemon yoghurt. Plenty of varnish and resin too, as well as wax and honey.
Taste: Soft tannins and mild chocolate flavours, but also a whole array of fruit. Pear skin and red apples at first, before going down a more tropical road. Actually, this pretty much mirrors the nose, which, I should not have to explain, is a very good thing.
Finish: Very subtle spices, before reverting to fruitier territories.
Rating: 92
As expected, this is another one of those excellent undisclosed Speysiders. Yes, they cost a lot of money, but are relatively cheap if you’re looking to add a quality, well-matured whisky from a bygone era to your collection.
Photo: Limited-whisky.de
Thijs is a spirits writer and accredited liquorist from The Netherlands. He runs the blog Words of Whisky and contributes to a number of Dutch and international publications.
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