Another undisclosed Highland Park – the name can’t be mentioned and apparently the underlying idea is “when a single cask is good people praise the bottler, when the cask is bad people blame the distillery”.
Orkney single malt 13 yo 2004 (50,5%, Whisky-Fässle 2017, sherry cask)
Orkney single malt 13 yo 2004 (50,5%, Whisky-Fässle 2017, sherry cask)Nose: subtle sherry, in the sense that the cask brings a sweet, almost syrupy fruitiness (peaches on syrup, golden raisins) but no darker notes. Baked apples, oranges and heather honey. Also wet branches and coastal notes. Good.
Mouth: oily texture, with the same sweetness (oranges, lemonade, peaches) but also a firmer, slightly more austere mineral side now. Plenty of grapefruits coming out as well, and some green herbs. Bittersweet evolution. Hints of chalk and liquorice. Zesty notes.
Finish: long, grassy and fairly sharp, with a little vanilla, ginger and honey.
A very good dram, punchy and coastal but with the sweeter notes bringing a nice balance. Praise to the bottler, but also the distillery. Scapa, was it? Around € 100 from Whisky-Fässle.
Score: 87/100