Secret Speyside 2003/2024 - #08023 (Berry Bros and Rudd) - Cherry

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 53% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

A grappa cask finish follows maturation in an ex-bourbon hogshead for this Speyside single malt. The whisky was distilled in 2003 and bottled by Berry Bros. & Rudd in 2024 after a total of 21 years. Cask 08023 yielded just 50 bottles at a natural cask strength of 53%. This bottling was created exclusively for Kirsch Import and is neither chill-filtered nor coloured.

Green apple and white grape are also part of the bright fruit character. Apricot, honey, heather and fresh oak add to these impressions. The grappa finish is particularly evident in the grape character; wine notes combine with oak spice and earthy accents in the long finish.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, ripe apples and pears combine with bright grape notes.
• Palate: The whisky opens on the palate with a full-bodied impression of honey-sweet apricots. Spice quickly gains prominence, while floral notes and heather provide balance.
• Finish: Pronounced wine notes, spicy oak and earthy accents linger through the long finish.

Distillery/Bottler:

The distillery behind this single malt remains unnamed. The independent bottling is by Berry Bros. & Rudd, a family-run London wine and spirits merchant. Its history began in 1698, when the widow Bourne opened a grocery shop opposite St James’s Palace. The company is still based on St James’s Street today.

The oldest surviving record of the company’s own Scotch whisky cask bottling dates from 1853. Today, Berry Bros. & Rudd works with a range of distilleries, seeking out lesser-known discoveries alongside established names for its spirits selection. The series of exclusive Speyside single-cask bottlings introduced in 2024 pairs this selection with unusual finishes: alongside grappa casks, tequila, calvados and armagnac casks were also used.

Facts: