Fragrant Drops Secret Islay 14yo Cask #101 & Cadenhead’s Islay 16yo ISY.2.B

Fragrant Drops Secret Islay 14yo Cask #101

Region: Islay

ABV: 48.7%

Price: £104.95

Distilled on 5 April 2011 at an unnamed Islay distillery and matured for 14 years in a refill ex-sherry butt, this single cask whisky was bottled on 8 May 2025, with an outturn of 534 bottles.

Nose

Initially we’re getting bourbon cask vibes from this, but the sherry starts to peak out with air. The nose opens with salted peanuts, iodine, spearmint and a hint of brown sugar. Cadbury Fudge Fingers, vanilla essence, cashew nuts and burnt naan bread follow, with a dry earthy peat smoke sitting in the background. The nose leans savoury, but with enough sweetness to balance it. The alcohol is also well integrated. 

Palate

A nice hit of peat and smoke arrives first, burnt newspaper and dried earth, then vanilla, pear drops, crème brûlée and white sugar cubes. A little too much pepper creeps in on the finish, alongside lingering smoke and sweetness. As with the nose, it initially feels like a bourbon cask, but shows more sherry with patience. Our biggest complaint would be that the palate is just a touch thin.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose turns more medicinal. Band aids and antiseptic lead, with cashews and breadsticks behind. Much of the earlier sweetness is dimmed, leaving a strong marshmallow note. It has not opened up so much as shifted, but remains pleasant to nose. 

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate weirdly sees a small improvement in the mouthfeel. The trade off is a little more upfront white pepper spice. The peat has also intensified, as does some of those sweeter notes. Personally, we’d recommend a few drops of water for this.

Conclusion

A solid Islay release that is just a touch hot in places, which holds it back from the next level. If you can get past that, there is plenty to enjoy here, with the refill cask working well to complement the spirit. It’s a welcome change to see whisky that hasn’t been drowned in sherry.

Score: 7/10

Value

Hard to assess value for money without knowing the distillery.

Cadenhead’s Islay 16yo ISY.2.B

Region: Islay

ABV: 56.1%

Price: £115.00

Distilled in 2008 and fully matured for sixteen years in a bourbon hogshead, this undisclosed Islay single malt was bottled for the Authentic Collection August 2025 release as the second Enigma bottling from this distillery. The outturn has not been revealed. We have heard rumours that this is a Lagavulin.

Nose

The nose is initially very tight and we found that it benefited from around ten minutes in the glass just to properly open up. With patience we found cold butter, tobacco, burnt toast and iodine leading the way, before mango, apple, mixed herbs and puff pastry appear. The peat is a gentle background note. Good alcohol integration.

Palate

The palate has icing sugar, polo mints and burnt toast, moving into ashy peat, barley sugars, and lemon juice. Mouthfeel is a touch thin for the ABV. The finish is medium in length with a peppercorn spice that edges towards overpowering, mixed in with plenty of sweetness. Simple for the age, but there is plenty to enjoy here.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose adds burnt s’mores, limoncello and a touch more smoke to the pre-dilution profile. The alcohol is more noticeable now, showing a as raw ginger spice. Other than that the nose hasn’t changed much.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate has a thinner mouthfeel and increased spice on the finish. Water has also muted the smoke and much of the earlier sweetness. Dilution hasn’t brought any positives, and we’d personally recommend this neat.

Conclusion

While it’s a touch simple given the age, we found plenty to enjoy once it had properly opened up. It’s just a shame the mouthfeel is a little lacking; with a better texture we’d have gone half a point higher.

Score: 7/10

Value

If this is Lagavulin, we could not complain about the price. Without that certainty, it feels a little pricey.

• 10 - Perfection. One in a million
• 9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.
• 8 - Great. Would seek this out.
• 7 - Good. Quality whisky.
• 6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.
• 5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.
• 4 - Below average. Passable.
• 3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.
• 2 - Defective. Significant faults.
• 1 - Offensive. Pour it out.

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