Artis Secretum 2011

Whisky Illuminati

Secrets are abound when societies are involved and one of the most secretive societies around are the Illuminati, no matter what you think of these types of societies there is now one involved within the whisky industry..

Whisky Illuminati are an Independent Bottler that are surrounded by mystery and intrigue, I want to tell you they sacrifice virgins and Dress in chicken outfits and have sacrificial inductions but alas it’s far more simple than that..

The only virgins I see them sacrificing are the virgin oak casks that might one day be bottled by them and the only induction ceremony I know off is the age checker when you enter the official site.. Should we feel let down ? No not really, the days of secret societies that rule the world are long behind us ( or are they ? )

With all that said I now come to one of their releases.. A secret distillery ( slaps head in disbelief )

Artis Secretum 2011 Solaria series

The name says it all, a secretive distillery that is truly Speyside at its heart and is often secretive when bottled by independent bottlers..

This bottle is a perfect fit for a society that wants the shroud of mystery whisky Illuminati are looking for..

Distillery.. Secretive ( although Glenfarclas wouldn’t be far off )

Region.. Speyside

Vintage.. 2011

Bottled.. 2018

Age.. 7 years

Abv.. 67.1%

Cask.. 1st fill Sherry butt #900284

Outturn.. 150 bottles

Nose.. This is full on dark chocolate, figs, plums orange marmalade and thick gooey treacle. Sticky toffee pudding with rich toffee sauce, strong black coffee and hints of cinnamon.

Palate.. Very oak forward with plenty of spices coming through, fresh ginger, peppery and all those dried fruits you want to find in a quality Sherry matured whisky..

Finish.. Lingering spices and very dry

Thoughts.. This is dark and moody and will draw you in with its seductive aromas..

This is part of a 3 stage series, this first part is bottled after 7 years maturing within this first fill Oloroso Sherry butt, part two will be bottled after a further 2 years maturing then finally 2 years later the remaining liquid will be bottled..

Anyone buying the first release will be offered the chance to get the next release, and finally the last bottle in order to fulfil the series..

The concept has received a few sceptics but I get the idea and it actually intrigued me immensely..

This cask at this age is absolutely screaming big bold aromas and flavours that will-or should I say should interest any whisky fan into following this Casks journey..

The concept is I suppose a little flawed as once you take out a proportion of the liquid you will alter the maturation process but how else could you show how the cask can and will alter over time..

Price has also been a talking point of these releases, £120 for this 7 year old is according to some over the top but consider this.. This is a cask of whisky from one of the distilleries that does not want to sell casks to Independent bottlers and therefore charges a premium for any casks they do sell, add to this the concept behind the release, the fact this is actually a very limited release of only 150 bottles, bottled at a whopping cask strength of 67.1% and comes in a rather fetching package ( if you love packaging this is rather decent ! ) that keeps that feeling of exclusivity, mystery and intrigue..

If you are open to a whisky journey that isn’t going to be rushed, will be interesting and might just offer something a little different then take a look at this..