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Posts Tagged ‘Scotch’

Review: Highland Park 18 Years Old (Viking Pride)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 3, 2021

Highland Park Distillery is located in the Highlands of Scotland on the Island of Orkney which is famous for its heather rich meadows, and its unique organic Orcadian peat. The 18 Year Old Highland Park Whisky (Viking Pride) is the part of the new core range of the distillery, which includes as well the 10 Year Old (Viking Scars) and the 12 Year Old (Viking Honour).

According to the sell sheets provided to me, the 18 Year Old Single Malt Whisky from Highland Park is produced using a high ratio of first-fill sherry seasoned European and American oak casks. The flavour is of course also driven by the hand cut aromatic peat from the Hobbister Moor which is used (by burning) to dry a portion of the malted barley.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Highland Park 18 Years Old (Viking Pride)

“… The complexity is ramped up in the 18 Year Old expression and the tasting notes I have put together do not really convey the impact of the flavour very well. The different impressions of flavour are all sort of mingled together. The fine oak spice and the sap pucker the mouth seemingly making me thirstier as I sip. And that boggy peat seems to run gently through everything …”

Please enjoy my review which concludes my walk through the Highland Park core range.

Chimo!

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Review: Highland Park 12 Years Old (Viking Honour)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 19, 2021

Highland Park Distillery is located in the Highlands of Scotland on the Island of Orkney which is famous for its heather rich meadows, and its unique organic Orcadian peat. The 12 Year Old Highland Park Whisky (Viking Honour) is the part of the new core range of the distillery, which includes as well the 10 Year Old (Viking Scars) and the 18 Year Old (Viking Pride).

According to the sell sheets provided to me, the 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky’s flavour is predominantly driven by 1st fill European casks (Oloroso sherry seasoned oak casks), providing a darker natural colour than the 10 Year old and a more mature fruity character. The flavour is of course also driven by the hand cut aromatic peat from the Hobbister Moor which is used (by burning) to dry a portion of the malted barley.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Highland Park 12 Years Old (Viking Honour)

“… Spicy with oak and grain spice as well as citrus zest. Slightly ashy peat smoke with herbal flavours of heather, menthol and lowland hay. Mild butterscotch and lightly sweet malt flavours underpinned by hints of almond/marzipan and canned fruit …”

Please enjoy my review which is concluded with a serving suggestion, the Highland Park Aztec Old Fashioned.

Chimo!

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Review: Highland Park 10 Years Old (Viking Scars)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 5, 2021

Highland Park Distillery is located in the Highlands of Scotland on the Island of Orkney which is famous for its heather rich meadows, and its unique organic Orcadian peat. Their 10 Year Old Highland Park Whisky (Viking Scars) is part of the new core range of the distillery which includes the 12 Year Old Viking Honour and the 18 Year old Viking Pride.

According to the information provided to me, this Single Malt Whisky is aged predominantly in American Oak casks (Oloroso sherry seasoned oak casks). The flavour is of course also driven by the hand cut aromatic peat from the Hobbister Moor which is used (by burning) to dry a portion of the malted barley.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Highland Park 10 Years Old (Viking Scars)

“… The Viking Scars surprised me with its mild approachable nose. The Orcadian peat is in the breezes, but it sits a little further back allowing notes of butterscotch, vanilla, and citrus fruit (orange peel) more prominence. The oak is spicy rather than woody and hints of almond seem to confirm the prevalence of American oak …”

Please enjoy my review which concludes with my serving suggestion, Blood and Sand.

Chimo!

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Review: Johnnie Walker Aged 18 Years

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 8, 2021

At the start of the year I began to taste the iconic Johnnie Walker Scotch Whisky line-up beginning with the flag bearer Red Blend and working my up the ladder through the Double Black and the Black, through the Green on my way to the Blue. On this ladder of blended whiskies, one is a little different from the rest in that rather than being associated with a colour, it is simply associated by its age statement, Johnny Walker Aged 18 Years.

According to the Johnnie Walker website:

Johnnie Walker Aged 18 Years is a smooth, well-rounded combination of up to 18 different whiskies from all over Scotland. Most of these are classic malt whiskies – which have undergone a slow, easy maturation in Scotland for at least 18 years.

It is interesting to note that the producer does not claim that all whiskies within the spirit’s make up are malt whiskies, rather they only claim that most of the whiskies within the blend are “Classic Single Malts”. My interpretation is that the Johnnie Walker 18 Year Old must also contain a certain amount of aged grain whiskies within its blend. This mans that in terms of classification, the new whisky would be termed a Blended Scotch Whisky.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Johnnie Walker Aged 18 Years

“…  Light honey and toffee notes meld with oak, vanilla and hints of peat. Pears and canned apricots appear with indications of raisins and wisps of Turkish Delight. After a few minutes, willow thicket, and poplar trees begin to grow and hints of wetland grasses and waters seep into the consciousness …”

Please enjoy my review and stay tuned as in two weeks I will look at the top rung of the Johnnie Walker ladder, Johnnie Walker Blue.

Chimo!

 

 

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Review: Tomatin 18 Year Old (Single Malt)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on October 3, 2018

The Tomatin Distillery is located in the Monadhliath Mountains near Inverness, the capital of the Highlands of Scotland. The Distillery was established in 1897. (For those who do not know, the term “established in 1897″ is a code term which represents an acknowledgement by the distillery that the company began to legally pay taxes on the spirits it produced in that year. When the Distillery actually began to produces spirits is not acknowledged.) Because of its location in the Monadhliath Mountains, Tomatin is one of the highest distilleries (elevation wise) in Scotland at 315 metres above sea level. In 1985 as the Distillery was expanded and was at that time renamed, The Tomatin Distillery Co Ltd.. The company now operates 12 stills, in a process which perhaps more closely resembles a large-scale industrial factory rather than a typical Single Malt Distillery. This is because the distillery has always been a large-scale producer of whisky for Scotland’s major blends. However, Tomatin has recently began to focus their efforts on also producing their own Single Malt Whisky as well as establishing their own brand identity.

The Tomatin 18 Year Old (Single Malt) is matured for eighteen years in refill oak casks and then finished in Oloroso sherry casks.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Tomatin 18 Year Old (Single Malt)

“… Not quite a sherry bomb, but the influence of the Oloroso casks is on display. Oak spice plays within the fruity sherry notes with the barley malt playing coy in the background …”

Please enjoy my review, Chimo!

 

Posted in Scotch Whisky, Single Malt Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisky Review | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Tomatin 18 Year Old (Single Malt)

 
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