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North Star Spirits Secret Speyside 2009 15 Year Old – Series 26 Review

Can a Speyside malt taste meaty and jammy-sour? This North Star Secret Speyside 15yo single cask review reveals a bold twist.

OVERALL RATING

8
$62
  • Mark Bostock, a whisky enthusiast specializing in independent bottlings.
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Tasting Notes

About:

A single cask Secret Speyside 15-Year-Old single malt, released by independent bottler North Star Spirits as part of their Cask Series 26 outrun of bottlings. Distilled in July 2009, this whisky was matured for 15-Years before being bottled from a single Oloroso sherry hogshead cask in June 2025. Only 232 bottles were produced, bottled at natural colour and without chill filtration at 50.3% ABV.
Appearance:
Bright Copper
Nose:
Quite unique on the nose, there’s a touch of sherry before syrupy dates, cherries, and a little strawberry take over. There’s a playful hint of Play-Doh, alongside aromas of sawdust, straw, and a hint of meaty spirit.
Palate:
On the palate, fruits in syrup open with dates and cherries, alongside hints of strawberry and raspberry becoming very jammy – and sour! An oily note follows, before thicker meaty spirit takes over. There is a background hint of sherry.
Finish:
A long finish, those sour red fruits linger with a touch of white pepper and oak. There’s almost a slightly fizzy tang at the close.
Comments:
North Star Spirits’ Cask Series 26 bottlings seemingly focused on Scotland’s whisky regions rather than specific distilleries, offering a unique and slightly different take on regional spirit styles. Following release, North Star revealed the Secret Speyside 15-Year-Old hailed from the Benrinnes distillery. Although bottled from a single Oloroso sherry hogshead, North Star haven’t specified if that’s a full term or finishing maturation.

This is a very different Benrinnes, and seems to have a different profile to traditional gentle honeyed and floral Speyside whiskies. The characteristic Benrinnes meatiness is discernible, but it’s those lingering syrupy sour red fruits which dominate this experience. There’s a touch of sherry influence, but this is far from centre stage.

For an independently bottled cask strength 15-Year age statement bottling, I feel the North Star Secret Speyside ‘Benrinnes’ offers good value. North Star Spirits have a great record of bottling some unique and unconventional single casks, and this one offers the opportunity to explore and challenge perceptions of Speyside whiskies.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Mark Bostock

Mark Bostock, an integral part of the Mark Littler LTD UK content writing team since 2019, brings a genuine passion for whisky, especially independent bottlings, to his work. His commitment to expanding his knowledge through attending tasting events and building his own collection enriches his contributions, blending expertise with enthusiasm.

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