Cooper's Choice Kilnaughton Secret Islay Rioja Cask
53.5% ABV - Islay, Scotland
Nose: Fruits, with a slight tanginess, and some spices. Orchard fruits soaked in wine. Wet charred wood and peat smoke.
Taste: Fruits that have been squeezed out of an oak barrel—juicy and dry, together. Red fruits, strawberry jam.
Finish: Chocolate fruit-nut bars melting over smoke. Herbal, earthy peat smoke.
Overall, this is a strange one—it’s definitely a unique flavour to have in my current selection. I think that I really like the interesting and tasty combination of flavours, but I had completely different expectations coming in.
I bought this bottle with the rumours it was an Ardbeg at the forefront of my mind… I know that these secrets—the "who is it?"—are often closely guarded, so I figured there is still a significant chance it’s not Ardbeg. (After having quite a few drams from this bottle, it doesn’t taste like an Ardbeg… but I have no better guess for who it is!)
I’ve had the opportunity to taste most Ardbeg releases since 2015, so the chance it could be some form of a Dark Cove excited me. I’ve had also never tasted any whisky that has spent time in a former Rioja wine cask!
It’s a challenging whisky. If you were coming over tonight then I’d set you up with this challenge. I’d want to know what you thought! Slàinte.
Note: This Cooper's Choice Kilnaughton Secret Islay was tasted with the Compass Box Peat Monster Arcana. Check out the other review to see how they compared! compared!
Details: Matured in a Spanish Rioja Red Wine Cask. Cask No. 279; 1 of 318 bottles.
Tasted 07 April 2022. (Posted 07 January 2023.)
