One of my first Silver Seal bottlings and the first proper review of it for sure. I did taste some Silver Seals in Germany, last April. Don’t worry, I didn’t club them or anything.

The price category of Silver Seal is pretty high, but for some reason Max Righi knows how to pick his casks and almost all reviews give pretty good ratings. Although I’m not a big fan of the ‘we-make-it-more-expensive-so-it-is-more-exlcusive’ approach, they’re pulling it off pretty nicely.

I heard that in the case of Silver Seal, the idea is to pay extra to get that one specific kick-ass cask, instead of the slightly less good one for less money.

Nose:
Herbs and spices at first, with bread, cinnamon and cloves leading the scents. I get a hint of smoke and some tobacco. Quite some wood and ashes as well. Slight hints of straw and farm scents.

Taste:
Sharp, but light. Spicey with quite a bit of wood and peppery heat. Slightly smoky again. It tastes a bit like some Broras with this complexity and combination of light sherry wood, spices and farmy notes. I do get a bit more of those sherry notes than I got on the nose. Wood spices and such.

Finish:
The finish is a lot smoother and less sharp than I expected. Nice fruity tones pop up in combination with the straw, spices and light smoke. The wood is still in there too. Great!

An absolutely gorgeous whisky. The ‘smooth and complex’ stigma applies, but in this case, it’s absolutely terrific. The ‘Brora Light’ thing that’s going on is exactly what I adore in whiskies. Which means, I like Brora’s style and such. And in this case, this is what I hope to find in every Highland Park I try. This moved to my wish list.

Highland Park 18, 1992-2010, Silver Seal, 53.1%, € 151 at Whisky Antique.