Secret Islay 17 Year Old 2008 Oak Cask #11898 (Duncan Taylor) (70cl, 54.6%)

This is a 17 year old Islay single malt released as Secret Islay by Duncan Taylor, with the distillery left unnamed. It was distilled in 2008, matured in a single oak cask, number 11898, and bottled in 2026 at a cask strength of 54.6%. The release came to 333 bottles, each in a tube. It is non-chill-filtered and has no added colour. The character is strongly smoky, malty and shaped by oak spice. The nose combines malty sweetness, caramel and creamy toffee, with dark dried fruit and a light citrus note. On the palate come bitter dark chocolate, dried fruit and pronounced malt, with spicy oak behind. The finish is long, with caramel sweetness, fine chocolate bitterness and a restrained hint of aniseed.