Another one of those recent bottlers that keeps being ridiculously popular. So much so that when it becoems available in The Netherlands it’s through those more ‘exclusive’ websites that keep the middle ground between retailers and secondary market. The looks of a retailer, the prices of the secondary market. But, when you want to try something and these guys are your only option, sometimes they come in very handy.
It’s obviously not very hard to guess the origins of a whisky called ‘Eye Land Pork’, even less so when the cask number is ‘twj-ork-01’, or the first The Whisky Jury bottling from Orkney.
I got myself a bunch of samples a while ago and have tasted them. Not only this Highland Park, but also several Ben Nevises (Ben Nevii?) and some of the Secret Speysiders that were very well received last year. More on that in the near future.
Sniff:
A very Highlands-y combination of scents. Austere notes of slate, iron and basalt. A slightly funky addition of hessian and damp attics. Behind all of this there are more green notes of ferns and apples. Some vanilla too.
Sip:
The palate is surprisingly consistent with the nose, but does add some more oak than there was before. Some pepper for a bit of bite, but not too much. The ABV isn’t too high, of course. Hessian, iron, copper polish. Slightly earthy, which isn’t too surprising with the whiff of smoke on Highland Park whiskies.
Swallow:
The finish is, again, consistent with the nose and the palate. A little bit more sweet than before, I think. There’s a little bit of a more coarse, earhty note on the finish, with a hint of heather.
This is a rather classical version of Highland Park, and it just so happens that I very much like classical versions of Highland Park. One might say I’m a fan of the style. So, yes, I do like this whisky very much and wouldn’t mind having a bottle at all.
I went for a very similar bottling by Sansibar, in a recent auction. I even ‘won’ it, but the DHL delivery guy decided he wanted it for himself instead of neatly handing it over.
Anyway, great stuff! Very enjoyable and typical of what you’d expect from the distillery. All good things!
88/100
Malt Fascination 