Scottish Whisky

Highland Park 12 Year

/ / Island, Review, Scottish Whisky / ,

Highland Park Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 12 Years
43% ABV/86 Proof
$35 to $40
Available Worldwide

What the Distillery Says:
The first proprietary bottling of Highland Park single malt Scotch whisky was as a 12 year old in 1979. It remains the core expression of the Highland Park range and is a smooth, balanced single malt, with a rich full flavour and a gentle smokey finish.

Tasting Notes

Appearance: Glowing amber
Nose: Heather-honey sweetness; peaty smokiness
Palate: Rounded smoky sweetness; full malt delivery
Finish: Teasing, heathery, subtle smoke. Delicious

Take your time to appreciate the nose of Highland Park 12 and you’ll discover the characteristic honey sweetness followed by fruit – maybe pineapple, apple or pear. On the palate it is drying and leaves a gentle smokey feeling and a flavour that just keeps on going.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Heather, dew covered wild grass, little hints of smoke, and wisps of sea air.
Palate: The smoke and sweetness dance around each other in the whirlwind.
Finish: Smoky and dry. The finish seems to linger forever.
Comments: I won’t be the first person to tell you that Highland Park is an underrated dram. It’s getting much more recognition lately but it still plays second fiddle to their parent Edrington’s Macallan. I’ve rarely had anything from this distillery that I wouldn’t recommend. This is one of the best 12 year old single malts out there and when you can find it at $35 it’s almost a steal. Stock up and enjoy.
Rating: Stands Out, Great Value

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New U.S. Releases – June 2011

/ / Bourbon, Other Whisk(e)ys, Scottish Whisky

I thought it might be a good idea to post these new release summaries on the last day of the actual month I’m summarizing instead of the following month. We’ll see if I can stick to that.

With one exception, June seemed to be all about American whiskey. From big producers to craft distillers, we have some interesting stuff that came through in June.

Wild Turkey 81
Release Date: Now
ABV: 40.5%
Price: $20
This one kind of took us by surprise. Usually, we get press releases some months in advance of bottles hitting the shelves. This is especially true of large producers like Wild Turkey. There is not really much to say here that Matt hasn’t already covered. Check out our review for more details.

OYO Whiskey
Release Date: Now
ABV: 46%
Price: $45
This new wheat whiskey comes from Middle West Spirits out of Columbus, Ohio. This is a 100% wheat whiskey aged in beeswax sealed barrels.

Walleye Rye
Release Date: Now
ABV: 45%
Price: $35/375ml
Made by New Holland Brewer, this rye is fermented from a wash of malted rye and 2-row malted barley. Walleye Rye is twice-distilled and matured in small American oak barrels. They release less than 350 375ml bottles per batch.

Whipper Snapper Oregon Spirit Whiskey
Release Date: Now
ABV: TBD
Price: $30
This is an interesting little product from Ransom Spirits. The first part of the whiskey is made from barley that is malted in the Pacific Northwest, and unmalted barley grown in the Willamette valley of Oregon. The second part is made by using a base of Kentucky corn whitedog, re-distilled in an alembic pot still. They age in a combination of barrels, including used French coopered pinot noir barrels, new American coopered whiskey barrels, and used American whiskey barrels. The age is between six months and two years, with an average time of about one year.

John B. Stetson Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Release: TBD for US market
ABV: TBD
Price: TBD
American whiskey (most likely Heaven Hill) purchased and bottle by Germans and sold back to U.S. consumers (among other countries too). If it tastes good I’ll buy, regardless of how convoluted the supply chain is. Plus, it’s got cowboys and horses on the label! You don’t get more manly and American than that.

Great King Street – The Artist’s Blend
Release: September 2011
ABV:43%
Price: $41/500ml, no price yet on 750ml bottles coming to the U.S.
Something new from Compass Box? Hell yeah I’m excited. John Glaser never disappoints. This new range of whiskies named for the Compass Box office address was created to appeal to both the malt whisky enthusiasts and those new to whisky. The first release in the Great King Street range is the Artist’s Blend. I can’t wait until September!

That’s June. Let’s see what treasures July holds!

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Isle of Jura Prophecy

/ / Island, Review, Scottish Whisky /

The Isle of Jura Prophecy Single Malt Whisky
46% ABV/92 Proof
$75
Widely Available

What the Distillery Says:
The latest in Isle of Jura’s range of expressions, Prophecy is a solera-style compendium of casks with varying levels of peating and age. Chill filtration was not used by Isle of Jura in order to preserve the malt’s unique nuances and character. The distinctive bottle features the “third-eye” of a fabled seer who purportedly predicted the end of Clan Campbell some 200 years before it occurred.

Color: Burnished, old gold
Nose: Abundance of peat smoke upfront yields to clean, briny/iodine close, rounded-out with traces of vanilla, orange zest and spices
Taste: Rich, velvety mouth-feel; profound core of smoky peat at attack and carried throughout; the mid-palette offers an intriguing mix of
heather honey sweetness and dried fruits before turning drier with more intense pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon spice.
Finish: Peaty flavors linger, drying back to a long, slow close.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Fresh cut pine and campfire smoke. Slightly briny.
Palate: Oily yet very clean. More wood smoke than peat. Fruit and honey hide behind the first hit of the smoke.
Finish: Very smooth finish with just a hint of smoke.
Comments: This is kind of like Superstition’s more refined older brother. I like this a lot. Oddly enough, it doesn’t really taste like a Jura but that’s not necessarily a bad thing in this case. While but Superstition and Prophecy stand out, I like this one a little more.
Rating: Stands Out

We would like to than Laura with The Baddish Group for providing us samples for review.

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Isle of Jura Superstition

/ / Island, Review, Scottish Whisky /

The Isle of Jura Superstition Single Malt Whisky
45% ABV/90 Proof
$53
Widely Available

What the Distillery Says:
Jura Superstition – individual yet mysterious. Crafted from a selection of the finest aged Jura single malt whiskies, this spirit has a unique style and character. A reflection of the past, the present and a wonderful Island. A single malt to be sipped and savored with respect.

Color: Deep, intense, rich mahogany with glittering golden highlights.
Nose: Firm and positive, yet forcibly mellow. The long maturation in American White Oak has nurtured this noble spirit although subtle accents of complex phenolic aromas drift attractively in the background.
Taste: These dramatic, complex aromas are carried onto the palate as the warmth of the tongue slowly releases its many mysteries. Spice, honey, pine and peat aromas with a whisper of smoke make a dramatic impact. Thanks to the different ages selected 13 and 21 years old the mystic spirit has been tempered and tamed. Even the driving rain and biting cold winds which are part of the island’s heritage have made their own mark.
Finish: Long, lingering, tantalizing finish.

What Richard Says:
Nose: A little sharper and more aggressive on the nose than regular Jura expressions. Peaty and vegetal.
Palate: Jura meet Caol Ila. The delicate Jura nature is still there but there’s and Islay overlay. More Caol Ila that Laphroaig or Lagavulin. Lightly smokey with a sweet toffee creaminess.
Finish: Pine, smoke, and a little salty spice.
Comments: This no age statement Jura is a mix of whiskies between 13 and 21 years old. It’s clearly not an Islay but the peat kicks this dram above and beyond the standard Jura offerings.
Rating: Stands Out

We would like to than Laura with The Baddish Group for providing us samples for review.

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Isle of Jura 16 Year

/ / Island, Review, Scottish Whisky /

The Isle of Jura Single Malt Whisky Aged 16 Years
43% ABV/86 Proof
$69.99
Widely Available

What the Distillery Says:
The heart of the matter.

Allow this noble spirit to drift over the palate – having lain for 16 long years in American White Oak, the warmth of the tongue will assist in raising the true depth of the spirit’s quality.

Color: Glassy golden highlights.
Nose: Full and rich. The hand of time has moulded this unique Single Malt into an array of intense notes – each aroma has been
beautifully crafted to reveal harmony at its best. Silky marzipan honey with a hint of ginger spice and sweet chutney encompass this floral bouquet.
Taste: Soft peaches and honey with tones of chunky orange peel and marzipan will slowly arise. Hints of aged Napolean cognac drift
lovingly in the background yet the backbone of its heritage continues to ebb away on the aftertaste, leaving the palate rewarded and satisfied.
Finish: A memorable finish only an island can bring.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Fruity sweet with a little bit of brine.
Palate: Orange zest, a lot of oak, and a little vanilla sweetness.
Finish: All oak with a little salty sweetness playing at the edges.
Comments: I can’t really say the age appeals to me on this one. It has some of the harsher elements of the 10 Year Old without the delicate youthful charm. I would pick the 10 Year over this without hesitation.
Rating: Average

We would like to thank Laura with The Baddish Group for providing us with samples for review.

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