Review by: TOModera
So… Here’s the Situation: It’s my Birthday, right? And rather than have a party, and have people all be confused as to what to buy me, and get more Whisky Stones, I go out to The Feathers Pub. And I have many a dram, and review them, and here I am.
This year I’m going twice. First time, my wife picks all the drams. She reads over the questions I ask, and then chooses some based on… her general mood. And what I’ve never reviewed before (I have a spreadsheet!)
So, there I am. I’ve had quite a few drinks. And a really good salad. And a ton of water, and breaks. The Grey Cup starts in a few hours, and I really don’t give a shit. I only want to review something else.
And thus, my wife picks Highland Park 10 Old Malt Cask Douglas Laing, which is pretty cool. I mean, it’s a cask strength version of Highland Park 10. That by itself is interesting. IB? That’s pretty cool.
An Island instead of an Islay? Probably a good idea after my multi-reviews last week.
Okay, let’s do this. I’m pretty drunk. I’m mostly buzzed. I’ve had Highland Park in an IB at Cask Strength before. And I loved it. Heck, it was only Bourbon Barrel. This one is Sherry Cask. I’ll love it.
It may be a good idea that I cut it off at this point. I’ll have the Amrut Peated another day.
Distillery: Highland Park Distillery.
Bottler: Douglas Laing.
Region: Island of Orkney, Island, Scotland.
ABV: 50%.
Age: 10 years. Distilled November 1988. Bottled April 1999.
Cask type: Sherry Cask.
Price: N/A.
Color: Gold.
Nose: Lemon pepper, custard, fresh baked bread, faint anise, nectarine
Initially reminds me of the Highland Park 12 year, though there’s more to this. The acidic notes aren’t as sour, and it’s more creamy. Also there’s a yeasty/warm bread note that adds something.
Taste: Caramel, currant, tomato, rum cake, raisin, grapefruit
I’d probably have guessed this was a rum cask, and I’d be wrong. It’s better than the 12 year, though still has some 12 year notes in it as well. They’ve tweaked it just a little bit, which is nice.
Finish: Strawberry, cherry compote, cardamon, crowberry, cranberry, pepper, rhubarb, burn, lemon pepper
Big, youthful, burning finish. Very fruity. Like diving into a Farmer’s Market head first. With your tongue. At full speed.
So some good bits and some rough, young parts.
Conclusion: This… this tastes nice. Not huge nice over the 12, but better than it. It’s rough, I’ll give it that. There’s some things that are gone, which I like (a little acid), and there’s some burn and tons of Sherry at the end that doesn’t make it better than the 18.
This is slightly better than the 15 year, better than the 12 year, and not as good as the 18. Good job DL, you done good.
Final Score: 81.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 