Adelphi Breath of the Isles 16 Year (2007)

Review by: The Muskox

Here’s another whisky from the Ardnamurchan/Adelphi tasting held at the venerable Jack Rose Dining Saloon last week.

It’s one of their “Breath of the Isles” bottlings, showcasing single-cask Island whiskies from a variety of distilleries. I’ve already tried one of these that was distilled at a certain distillery on Skye. According to Ardnamurchan sales director Connal MacKenzie, this one was distilled at “a distillery on Orkney, and not Scapa”. Truly mysterious.

Distillery: Highland Park.

Bottler: Adelphi.

Region: Islands.

ABV: 57.1%. Cask strength.

Age: 16 years. Distilled in 2007. Bottled in 2023.

Cask type: “Oak cask”.

Price: N/A, sample at free tasting.

Color: Dark gold. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

Nose: Sweet and fragrant. Honey and sea salt. Light fruit notes of peach, pear, and grapefruit. Just a hint of heathery smoke and wet hay. After a few more minutes rest in the glass, a farmyard-y quality emerged.

Palate: Medium-light texture. Arrives very fragrant, with lemongrass, citrus, and coconut. The whisky develops very creamy, with pleasant green grassiness, light smoke, kelp, and a very strong Earl Grey tea note.

Finish: Medium-long. That tea note evolves towards Darjeeling. More honey, salt, and citrus (lime especially).

Possible SMWS bottling name: “Seashore morning ritual”

Conclusion: It’s funny, I usually thing of Highland Park as a very-good-but-not-great distillery, but every now and then I try one that really hits the spot for me. This is absolutely one of those. The creaminess and fragrant-grassy-tea flavours in here are just delicious, with the hints of smoke and salt adding just enough complexity. If I could find that Darjeeling note in Highland Parks consistently, I wouldn’t have to spring for so much indie Bowmore.

Final Score: 88.

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.

Leave a comment