Overall rating
87.86/100
votes
51
Whiskybase ID
WB192568
Category
Single Malt
Bottler
The Whisky Jury (TWJ)
Vintage
10.1999
Bottled
07.2021
Stated Age
21 years old
Casktype
Refill Barrel
Casknumber
Twj-L-1999
Number of bottles
250
Strength
59.8 % Vol.
Size
700 ml
Added on
27 sep 2021 10:43 pm by thewhiskyjury
UncoloredNon-chillfilteredCask StrengthSingle Cask Whisky

Average value

€ 232.73

15 × in wishlist

51 × member ratings

69 × in collection

Whisky reviews for Shh... ecret Islay 1999 TWJ

15 users have left 15 reviews for this whisky. Average rating is 87.86 points.

  1. Beiredelarue scored this whisky 89 points Member Senior

    I had a chance to buy it for the release price, but something held me back, leaving me in doubt. Maybe it wasn't the right time for me. Very tasty, after all. Fortunately, samples exist! Judging by the nose, I was adamant that it was Lagavulin at first, but the taste and aftertaste make me doubt Laphroaig. But hey, that's what makes it so much fun, isn't it?
    • Nose
      Maritime, slightly spicy, sweet, slightly medicinal, plasticine, sweet keys and of course the smoke
    • Taste
      Taste follows the nose, but the smoke is more dominant and the complexity of the nose disappears somewhat. Nice alcohol integration. I find him surprisingly young for his age. Had I not known his age, I would have estimated him younger.
    • Finish
      Long and sweet. The tones that were in the nose come back nicely.

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  3. springtank scored this whisky 88 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      88 88
    • Taste
      88 88
    • Finish
      89 89

  4. VISION_CHEN scored this whisky 89 points Expert Junior

    Nose: Sea breeze, citrus, high-end books and very dry smoke in the background, followed by grain (good smell), and later evolved into very fragrant fried white sesame seeds, all kinds of expressiveness are very good, with support, and a good structure .

    Drink: The structure of the wine is supported, a lot of salt, salty, sea breeze, oil, citrus, and a lot of pepper in the finish.

    Overall: The fried white sesame flavor is a great highlight, and TWJ's works are always of a high objective standard.

  5. MaltMonkeyPetro scored this whisky 88 points Expert Senior

    • Nose
      89 89
    • Taste
      88 88
    • Finish
      88 88

  6. Cipidos scored this whisky 88 points Expert Senior

  7. WhiskeryTurnip scored this whisky 88 points Expert Senior

    A secret Islay whose identity starts with the letter “L”— the Whisky Jury provided an excellent clue to narrow down the field of potential Islay distilleries for this mystery malt. Considering how much this profile reminded me of the subtle tropical notes on a very mature Laphroaig, I have my guess locked in.

    The nose and palate told two different stories: the aroma was fruity and medicinal with a pungent peak reek for something that spent two decades in the cask. The palate dropped the medicinal quality— or banished it to a much deeper level of slightly charred herbal notes— instead, a lovely creamy spirit drew the attention with top notes of tropical fruit and mellow spice. Hints of peat reek and smoke— or at least charred citrus rind— appeared near the end and lingered through on the finish.

    Mental Image: Tropical Forager’s Homemade Preserves
    • Nose
      Charred fruits and herbs with hints of hospital. A layer of pungently maritime peat reek hung in front of sweet chlorine, cleaning chemicals, and antiseptic ointments, which opened the sinuses to burnt sage and rosemary. Beyond were notes of candied oranges, key lime, and crushed igneous rock.
    • Taste
      Medium to light body with a creamy-oily mouthfeel and charred herbal, tropical fruit, and maritime notes. An initial wave of creamy salted butter and tropical fruit jam crested on notes of charred wood, cardamon, and peppery limu kohu. Tropical pastries and toast came to mind with hints of ginger, lilikoi, orange, and guava. Salty toasted herbs lingered at the end with charred orange rind.
    • Finish
      Lingering notes of citrus and faintly bitter herb.

  8. Lcluy scored this whisky 88 points Expert Senior

    • Nose
      89 89
    • Taste
      88 88
    • Finish
      88 88

  9. Banzai scored this whisky 89 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      91 91
    • Taste
      88 88
    • Finish
      88 88

  10. OJK scored this whisky 87 points Expert Senior

    Enveloping and viscous with a good balance of iodine and citrus, but overall slightly unbalanced and hot. Still very enjoyable.

  11. Rodrigue1975 scored this whisky 94 points Expert Junior

    On the nose, a one-way ticket to Islay! We find ourselves on the windy moor with heather, a little saline side and a beautiful ash.
    This camphor and lemony side, with pretty notes of fish oil, wow really superb ????.
    The nose 10 - 15 centimeters from the glass and the scents come to caress and put all my senses on alert, until my taste buds are activated.

    First sips, I find a little very dry hay side, then we have the attack of peat and a really very fine and a little "sticky" ash, it becomes maritime with touches of seaweed, salinity.
    I love this medicinal and camphoric side, with wet earth. It's round, creamy and smooth, superbly integrated alcohol, it warms up but it's very sweet.

    The finish is smoky, slightly vanilla and spicy heather honey.

    Very sharp, no fuss, just the beauty of the distillate.
    And this sweetness, it's really surprising, you feel a certain power while mastering it, it's warm, but the beauty of the distillate can really express itself.
    I am conquered.

  12. TomP scored this whisky 88 points Expert Senior

    • Nose
      88 88
    • Taste
      87 87
    • Finish
      88 88

  13. jazza scored this whisky 88 points Expert Junior

    This one is simple but enjoyable.

    Quiet fruity and greedy with a nice maritime peat on the nose.

    Then on the mouth the texture is really creamy but the taste is quiet simple and on only one way, with some fruits.

    The finish is too short and even simpler.

    For this age and for this beautiful releases quintet by the TWJ at the same time, it's a bit surprising to have this only one so far from the others in terms of quality.

    We could really expect more for a 21yo Laph.

    Sorry crazy speculators here, we won't help you this time. But keep going, i propose you 500 if you want !

  14. kofima scored this whisky 86 points Expert Senior

    • Nose
      86 86
    • Taste
      87 87
    • Finish
      86 86

  15. JNuyts scored this whisky 86 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      86 86
    • Taste
      86 86
    • Finish
      87 87

  16. markjedi1 scored this whisky 88 points Connoisseur

    Requiem for a Dr(e)am

    'A 21-year-old peater', as The Whisky Jury describes it, but he keeps the distillery where this good dram comes from a secret. The only hint is in the barrel number: #Twj-L-1999. The L refers to one of the two distilleries which name begins with this letter. You have a 50% chance. And again a lovely bit of tongue-in-cheek humor on the label, because this one is called 'Shh... ecret Islay'. I love that. Very pale, though.

    Herbal, ashy, dirty, maritime, round and creamy on notes of banana, vanilla and white chocolate right in front of sea salt, wet earth and moss. Lightly medicinal and heavily inviting.

    Surprisingly soft on the tongue despite the sturdy ABV. Perfect continuation of the nose, with the emphasis on creamy banana and sweet and sour peat. Again, quite a bit of vanilla. Very sweet, though. Beautiful smoke that turns your mouth completely warm. I imagine myself by a bonfire on the beach and breathe a sigh of pleasure.

    The medium-long finish is sweet, spicy and smoky.

    Laphroaig or Lagavulin? Who knows? I tend towards the former, but what do I know? Coincidentally, I was listening to the soundtrack of Lux Aeterna for the 2001 dram Requiem for a Dream when I tasted this dram. A perfect match!

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