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| Hello, that is considered one of our (nearly) every day tastings. Santé! |
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October 7, 2021
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Highland Park and stuff from Orkney
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In concept and Scapa keen, that is a tautological headline, however we worry nothing. By the best way, we’re slowly approaching the 600 HP mark however that ought to solely occur subsequent time, perhaps proper after the massive whisky festivals.
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Whitlaw 5 yo 2014/2020 (46%, Van Wees, The Final Choice, dechar/rechar butt, cask #436, 857 bottles) 
So from a dechar/rechar butt, which might imply that this butt had been charred within the first place – all hail wooden know-how! By the best way, Signatory are actually calling a few of their HPs ‘Whitlaw’, which I discover nicer than ‘Secret Orkney’. It’s the title of a hill that sits behind the distillery – or reasonably say that the distillery sits in entrance of the Whitlaw Hills. Color: gold. Nostril: no precise sherriness right here, it’s reasonably a recent, coastal, barely smoky and fairly briny Highland Park that reveals how nice the distillate is. It reminds of my beloved official 10 yo, the epitome of mineral and coastal zestiness in malt whisky. The rechar factor appears to have introduced a bit extra-vanilla and a few mango syrup, all that in civilised moderation. Mouth: completely glorious, on related notes. Touches of brine, inexperienced tea, chalk, lemons, malt, a bit hay and a bit maize bread. Good peatiness. End: medium, on related notes, with a sweeter facet. The char? Pineapple syrup. Feedback: proper up my alley, regardless of the oh-so-slightly extreme sweetness. I feel the pineapples have been a bit pointless.
SGP:553 – 86 factors. |
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Secret Orkney 20 yo 1999/2020 (52.7%, Boogieman Imports, hogshead, 124 bottles) 
This one comes with some Viking stuff on the label, so no doubts about what it’s. Color: straw. Nostril: a clear and smoky and coastal arrival, then whelks and inexperienced apples, then tropical fruits as jellies and as syrups. Lambswool and chalk popping out after a minute or two. With water: woold and chalk taking on, which I discover very ‘HP’ when little to no sherry’s been used. Wee whiffs of camphor, at all times for the higher. Mouth (neat): sometimes tight, chalky, salty, smoky after which fruity. Chutneys, oysters, grapefruits, all working in sync. With water: that sauvignony feeling that we get pleasure from a lot. Pouilly-Fumé. Now cautious, solely two drops will probably be sufficient, it does not react too effectively to excessive discount, which might flatten it. End: reasonably lengthy, maybe with a bit extra paraffin, maybe horseradish. Candied citrus within the aftertaste. Feedback: excellent pureish Highland Park, coming with extra-points as a result of I favored it (Ed: what? Is not that the entire level?)
SGP:453 – 90 factors. |
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Orkney Islands 11 yo 2009/2020 (46%, Berry Bros. & Rudd, Small Batch) 
I feel Berry Bros. are reasonably good at this, doing characterful and but fairly consensual and sensibly priced regional small batches. I imply, Orkney is a sort of area, is it not? No worries, that is effectively a single malt. Color: white wine. Nostril: smoky, sooty, waxy and natural. Wee whiffs of pine-scented shampoo, barbecue, sunflower oil, hand cream, heather (sure), plasticine and burning wooden ashes. Much less coastal/briny than others, maybe. Mouth: no, lots of brine in there, oysters lemons and vanilla, kippers and rollmops (wee bits), a sense of margarita (tequila, lime, salt if I am not mistaken), and an total coastalness that is approaching Taliskerness. See what I imply? Appears that HP is getting extra coastal by the vintages. End: reasonably lengthy, recent, salty, with some rounder butterscotch within the aftertaste. Feedback: extraordinarily good, straightforward and but completely not vulgar, and really ‘idiosyncratic’. Fairly BB&R, in different phrases. Facet word, I discover it good that we’d protect regional types, or a minimum of Distillery types. Nobody wants Distilleries that may make simply all types identified to man. And why not gin!
SGP:562 – 89 factors. |
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Highland Park ‘Valfather’ (47%, OB, +/-2020)
In accordance with the design, this humble NAS could be a half-Viking, half-Zulu bottling. They are saying it is the peatiest fashion of Highland Park, let’s examine that. You will discover it one in every single place, they will need to have produced a whole lot of 1000’s bottles of this. Color: gentle gold. Nostril: this could verify my findings (you are not Dr Livingstone both, S.), they’ve cranked up the peat. So this has reasonably lots of peat, additionally kelp and vanilla. Now it is not significantly complicated, I suppose the combination is younger on common. Slightly vanilla, herbs, ashes… Mouth: it is having a tough time after the BB&R because it’s a lot easier, narrower, and simply reasonably peaty. Now I nonetheless prefer it, it is a brilliant make, with good citrus past the coastal peat. It is simply that it is fairly easy, I am reminded of Laphroaig’s reasonably underwhelming… What is the title once more? Ah sure, Choose. Oh boy. End: medium, creamy, peaty as an Islay. Feedback: a reasonably younger Islay whisky from Orkney. Really, I feel it is excellent, hope they will concern some older batches if they’ve any. Every so often, I discover the truth that any distillery would produce many types (like unpeated, calmly peated, medium peated, closely peated, to not point out every kind of woods) a bit boring and worthless. Name me old-guard if you want.
SGP:456 – 85 factors. |
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Orkney Islands 15 yo 2002/2019 (58.6%, Fadandel.dk, butt, cask #3C+F, 170 bottles)
Unusual cask # right here, what does that imply? A secret code? The illuminati? Bilderberg? Huge Enterprise? Invoice Gates? Color: white wine. Nostril: the tightest of all of them, with lots of lemon juice and even whiffs of washing powder. Woolite, plaster, aspirin, other forms of white powders… (not that one)… With water: chalk, seawater, ashes, whelks, riesling. Bon appétit! Mouth (neat): excellently zesty, recent, vertical, but creamy on the surface. Lemon juice and honey. With water: we have reached zesty and coastal perfection. End: reasonably lengthy, very recent, very salty. Lemons, oysters and kippers. Feedback: a butt? Did they really let some cigarette butts infuse? That will clarify the cryptic cask #, ‘+C’ that means ‘plus cigarettes’. Odd customs should you ask me (S., perhaps time to change to some Netflix dope). I agree this word was fairly clumsy and I apologise profusely for every part, however the whisky is prefect!
SGP:463 – 90 factors.
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