Secrets of Islay 8 Year Old 2017 1st Fill St-Estèphe Wine Barrique – The Old Friends (56.1%)

This is an 8 year old Islay blended malt Scotch whisky from Secrets of Islay, bottled as a single cask for The Old Friends. The series was started by Michel Reick in 2018, and the label for this edition shows Hansel and Gretel. The whisky was distilled in October 2017 and matured in a first fill St-Estèphe wine barrique, cask #2/2017. It was bottled in August 2026 at 56.1% ABV, from 326 bottles, without chill filtration or added colour. It combines maritime peat smoke with ripe plums, dark berries and spicy oak, in a dry structure.