Review by: Whiskery Turnip
Highland Park week at the Whiskery Turnip household comes to an end with one more delightful review. While many bottlers opt to identity the unnamed Orkney distillery through cheeky references or vague handwaving, “A Distillery on Orkney,” there are a few that use specific codes, or in this case, coordinates, to identify it. Check the coordinates on this bottle and you will see exactly what I mean.
Distillery: Highland Park.
Bottler: Abbey Whisky.
Region: Scotland/Island Single Malt.
ABV: 53.8%.
Age: 17 years. Distilled in 1999. Bottled in 2017.
Cask type: Refill Sherry Butt.
Nose: Coastal and maritime, salt, mineral, orange citrus, mild charcoal smoke; hints of tobacco, leather, and dried kelp.
Palate: Medium-bodied, maritime and citrusy, orange, a hint of coconut, leather, driftwood, charcoal, musty tobacco, peppery.
Finish: Medium-length, peppery and a touch spirited with citrus, minerals, and a kiss of smoke.
Mental Image: Maritime Meandering.
Conclusion: The aroma was pleasantly coastal, with a maritime brine washing up on a mineral-rich beach with scattered bits of driftwood and tar. Orange and tangerine provided a citrusy backbone with hints of herbal thyme and mint. A mild charcoal smoke and ash blew in with hints of tobacco, leather, moss, and dried kelp as the aroma continued moving down the shoreline. Medium-bodied, the flavor profile popped with salt and citrus as if I liked the salted rim of a tropical, citrusy margarita with orange, tangerine, and hints of coconut. Leather, driftwood, and charcoal lingered further in the background with a musty tobacco and slightly acrid smoke. Medium-length, the finish was peppery and a touch spirited with citrus, mineral, and a kiss of smoke.
I have a fairly mixed relationship with Highland Park; there have been some highs but lots of middling scores and a few absolute lows. I mention this because I had few expectations when I finally got around to trying this dram; I figured it might be a pretty typical Orkney malt and quickly forgotten. I was wrong, clearly. Maybe low expectations are not always bad, though; the less one expects from a whisky, the easier it is to be impressed.
The flavors were pretty typical for the distillery— I have described numerous Highland Park as being some combination of tropical margarita and fruity sangria with a maritime aesthetic. Peatier malts can lean more toward coal and an acrid industrial quality, however, this had only a whiff of those elements as the refill sherry maturation elevated the fruitier elements with a hint of leather. I particularly enjoyed the very clean and subtly tropical elements.
Overall, an Orkney delight, this is the kind of Highland Park I really enjoy. For anyone wondering how you can know for sure it is a Highland Park, consider checking out the handy coordinates on the bottle!
Final Score: 84.
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 