In addition to the great old Speysiders of 1973 released a few weeks ago, Archives also released a Speyside 1998. This one is also undisclosed, and as far as I know, it comes from the same distillery as where its older two brothers came from. Which distillery this is? That remains unknown and we can only guess. Yes, there are rumours but we just don’t know for sure.

This undisclosed Speyside whisky has matured in a butt for 18 years and is bottled at 52,7% ABV.

Speyside 1998 tasting notes:

Nose: Starting with some dried fruits, like raisins and blueberries. Than a feint hint of oranges and a touch of lemon. This all is followed by leather and furniture polish. When water is added, apricot jam and some sweetness from honey also appear.

Taste: More dried fruits again, mixed wit some honey sweetness and oranges. Later dark chocolate and a bit of coffee as well. Maybe some spices here too: cloves, and a hint of black pepper.

Finish: The finish is quite dry, although this becomes slightly less with water. Some honey here as well.

A good and solid dram, with some lovely fruits. But it needs a few drops of water, otherwise it’s a bit too dry for me.

Thanks to Whiskybase for the sample and the picture.