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Day 14 - KWM 2025 This Is Still Not An Advent Calendar

Posted on December 16, 2025

by Evan

What should I talk about with this one? We have no clue which Highland Distillery this bottling was distilled at. Kind like the Boutique-Y Highland 18 Year we had in last years Not An Advent Calendar Tasting Set, which in my opinion is superb.

What is the deal with mystery malts? Here is a short breakdown.

There are many Single Malts from Independent Bottlers that disclose which distillery the whisky came from. But not all of them do.

Nearly every distillery sells casks. Either to private buyers, whisky brokers, blenders, or independent bottlers. Most cannot afford to hold on to their entire stock for years or decades to release it themselves. So, they will sell or trade at least some of their younger stock, or even some of their spirit runs in bulk.

BUT: Imagine you were a distiller and sold a cask of your whisky off. Eventually, that cask is bottled and sold, but with your distillery's name still on it in big, bold print. Then it receives several poor reviews. Somebody else sold the final product, which you had no say in, and now consumers are complaining that your whisky is garbage. You had no control over how it was matured in the years - or even decades since you sold it.

Should your distillery's reputation suffer because of this cask that you sold off years ago?

This is where a lot of these mystery malts, like the Moonbroch Secret Highland Single Malt come in. The indie bottler – Moonbroch in this case – might not have the rights to name the distillery it comes from. Heck, they might not even know which distillery the casks came from – they might have been sold as Highland Single Malt with no distillery name attached in the first place. OR, the bottler might have had to sign a form saying they would not reveal the distillery it came from.

Regardless, it seems like we will have to follow our palates on this one and just contemplate which Highland Distillery that peats at least some of their spirit runs this comes from. Hmm….

Moonbroch Secret Highland 20 Year Old – 46%

This peated, secret Highland single malt was bottled at 46% and 20 years of age after finishing in an STR cask!

Evan’s Tasting Note

Nose: Malt, dark chocolate, tarry peat, a hint of iodine, grapefruit rind, blueberry pie, cherry cobbler, roasted sunflower seeds, and a touch of chicken soup stock.

Palate: Chalk and mineral notes hit up front before a tangy citrus note comes in, along with the peat smoke. Apple sauce, Strawberries with balsamic and black pepper, and ginger beer.

Finish: Warming, peaty, peppery, and sweet with notes of apple juice and candied ginger on the fade.

Comment: Love that bit of minerality on this dram. Once again I was worried about the wine cask finish, and more I am left pleasantly surprised. A tasty whisky. Regardless of where it came from.

Cheers,

Evan

evan@kensingtonwinemarket.com

This entry was posted in Whisky, Tastings, Whisky Calendars, Independent Bottler, Tastings - Online Tasting, KWM 2025 Still Not An Advent Calendar Tastings

 

 

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