ABV: 46,7 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and aromatic. At first there’s a thick honey and liquorice sweetness. There’s a thin outside layer of red berries, fresh fruits and a very mild peat. It feels very warm and welcoming and it feels rich and textured. With time in the glass the red berries takes a bigger role but they still reside on the edges. Cinnamon, vanilla and toffee appear together with the sweet notes in the center. A thin floral top note start to come through and after a while a hint fresh oranges and peaches join in. This is a very nice and welcoming nose with a lot to explore.

Mouth: It starts out with sweet liquorice and vanilla center. Ripe red grapes, blackberries and black coffee form a thick outer layer. There’s also a thin cloud of peat floating around but it’s not dominant at all. A black pepper spicyness arrive in a hastily manner, but it settles quite quickly. The oak becomes noticable and it comes with a hint of dust. There’s a transition from sweet and fresh to a darker bitter character happening which feels quite interesting.

Finish: At first there’s a second or two with a fresh fruitiness. Orange peel, red berries and fruits sits up front before it turns back towards the darker notes and the bitterness. A slightly astringent and dusty oak with coffee and hazelnuts comes through together with cinnamon and black pepper. The finish is rich and aromatic and it feels well balanced. There’s a hint of the peat left when all else settles but it’s easy to forget since it’s so far out of focus. This is a great whisky but it’s a bit hard to access the nice complexity behind the somewhat shallow exterior. Behind the sweet and warm front lies a nice array of flavours.

Additional information
This 16 YO Highland Park was aged in a mix of first fill Spanish Rioja red wine casks and american ex-bourbon barrels. It has natural colour.

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