This time we reviewed several special releases from the independent bottler “The Whiskey Agency” (TWA) during our whisky journey. Most enthusiasts among us, who are a bit further in their journey, will probably already be familiar with TWA.
For the others, we hope to provide an interesting introduction through this blog.
Because we as Dutch Whiskey Brothers are also members of Klubb23, we sometimes have the opportunity to participate in cool and exclusive bottle shares. The same goes for this line-up of six different TWA releases, which were normally only available through “Heads & Tails” (Canada) and “Three Rivers Tokyo” (Japan).
So thank you to Dominic for this beautiful journey, Slàinte 🥃!
The line-up is quite diverse, including a Tormore, some Secret Speysides and a Secret Grain from 1973!
It’s time to discover this beautiful line-up!
Teaninich 1999, 21yo @ 50% ABV
- Nose: An old bookcase, fresh vanilla pods, floral and licorice sticks.
- Palate: White pepper, red currant, ginger, and wood notes.
- Finish: A bitter aftertaste that is medium/long.
- Nose: Tropical fruit notes with ripe banana, mango, followed by a whiff of spices.
- Palate: Again fruity on the taste: Mango, Pineapple and some zesty flavors. Spices are more present on the palate. Also some vanilla and tannins from the wood.
- Finish: A medium aftertaste where the spices are a bit more dominant.
a Secret Speyside 1993, 26yo @ 49.3% ABV
@Whiskypeater
- Nose: Sherry, raisins, red fruit, strawberries and cherries.
- Palate: Tobacco, milk chocolate, clear sherry notes.
- Finish: Very tasty with lots of spices and a long aftertaste.
@Dramtastic.86
- Nose: Plums and dates. Beautiful milk chocolate and caramel. Later on, those somewhat deeper tones of tobacco emerge a bit.
- Palate: Much softer and sweeter on the taste: red fruit, honey and again chocolate. Then some more spices such as cloves and nutmeg.
- Finish: A long finish where it becomes slightly more spicy with cinnamon in particular.
Secret Speyside 1991, 28yo @ 44% ABV
@Whiskypeater
- Nose: A fresh nose, green apples, bananas, blueberries, vanilla, and oak notes.
- Palate: Nice and fruity think of mango and banana, in the back there is also a bitter.
- Finish: This is whisky! What a great and long finish.
@Dramtastic.86
- Nose: Much fresher than the 1993 Secret (also logical given the type of barrel). Crispy green apples, vanilla, honey and lemon curd.
- Palate: Creamy fruitiness in a glass! More tropical fruits like banana, mango and pineapple. Also some lemon drizzled pie and bitter spices.
- Finish: Less long than expected given the creaminess of the taste. Vanilla, honey and some spices.
Tormore 1995, 25yo @ 47.7% ABV
@Whiskypeater
- Nose: Lightly roasted nuts, citrus notes, Earl Gray tea, banana yogurt dessert (Danoontje).
- Palate: Yellow fruit, a sweet dram with a little bitterness.
- Finish: A long finish with roasted peanuts.
@Dramtastic.86
- Nose: Malty with vanilla and herbs (tea). And a little banana fruitiness
- Palate: More fruitiness such as banana and stone fruits. Still a bit malty and slightly spicy.
- Finish: A long finish with vanilla and roasted nuts.
a Secret Grain 1973, 46yo @ 50.4% ABV
@Whiskypeater
- Nose: Glue, lemon peel, fresh mint leaves, fresh cream.
- Palate: Butter, yellow fruit think of mango and lemon, and I also taste some wood.
- Finish: A medium finish.
@Dramtastic.86
- Nose: Glue, vanilla (custard), coconut, mustiness, whipped cream and some menthol?
- Palate: Beautifully creamy (as an old grain should be), strong vanilla flavor (sticks), nuts, wood spices, chocolate, leather and dried fruit.
- Finish: Medium with dried fruits and a bitter spice note (lemon zest).
Isle of Jura 1992, 28yo @ 53.5% ABV
@Whiskypeater
- Nose: A candy cane from the carnival, grapefruit, baby vomit, Toffee.
- Palate: It’s like a candy store mixed with some fruits like lemon peel and galia melon.
- Finish: Medium long with lots of yellow fruit.
@Dramtastic.86
- Nose: Sweet candy notes (“spekjes”), honey, caramel and tropical fruits.
- Palate: Sugar cane, banana, mango, guava and melon. Lots of sweet notes.
- Finish: Medium finish with more of the fruit notes.
We hope you enjoyed this line-up as much as we did, or at least we got you excited about “The Whiskey Agency”.
We have some other bottles and samples of TWA for the future, so we’re in for dessert! But if you come across a bottling yourself (either at a festival), don’t hesitate… it’s really worth it!
Slàinte 🥃
Dutch Whisky Brothers
📸 photo credits: Dominic from Klubb23 🥃🙏
Dutch Whisky Brothers 
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