Highland Park is one of the distilleries owned by Higland Distillers, which also owns the Macallan distillery. It is also one of the main constituents in the Famous Grouse blend, which we have yet to officially review. Highland Distillers has done a great job with its Macallan marketing machine and are now attempting to do the same with its Highland Park brand. It's called 'The Best Spirit in the World' on the website and the 18 year (older bottlings) is considered 'The greatest all-rounder in the world of malt whiskey' by Michael Jackson. Let's see how this dram scores objectively.
THE REVIEW
Comments: Maybe I'm getting bored with whiskies that have a winey (sherry) and slightly peaty flavour, a la Speysides (even though Highland Park is from the Isle of Orkney). Don't get me wrong. Overall, there's nothing really wrong with this whisky and it is very well rounded and easy to drink. Verdict - not exciting but definitely worth having in the cabinet
Our whisky adventure in Japan didn't just end at the Yamazaki distillery. We decided one night in Osaka to try the B (Baccarat) Bar near our hotel which looked very stylish and cool. The ambience was dark and sensual and for some reason it reminded me of the movie Bladerunner.
Whisky tasting with Baccarat crystal
D ordered a cocktail of champagne mixed with dessert wine and juices. I, of course, scanned the menu for interesting whiskies to try. The one that caught my eye was a Hakushu 1995 Owner's Cask that was recommended by the bartender. Since the taste of Hakushu 12 year was fresh in my mind from the tasting at the distillery, I thought I'd give it a shot to see the understand the differences.
THE REVIEW
Comments: A very interesting dram with citrus overtones and a long lingering fruity finish. Slight showing of peat here but very unlike the regular Hakushu 12 year which has more pronounced smokiness. Another great whisky from Japan!
I was in Kyoto for the Sakura festival to see the Cherry Blossoms or Hanami as the Japanese call it. The sights and atmosphere was amazing and the food, as always in Japan, was absolutely fantastic. One of the main highlights of the vacation though was trip to the Yamazaki distillery, which is at the midway point between Osaka and Kyoto by JR Rail.
Yamazaki Distillery Store: In The Barrel
Barrel No. 0001 from 1924 when the distillery was founded
The distillery was beautiful and I was convinced after the tour that it was possibly the most modern and high tech distillery in the world (but my view is probably biased as this is my first ever distillery visit!) I'll not flood the post with more pictures of the distillery but all I can say is that you should definitely visit if you're ever in the area. Did I mention that you get a free whisky tasting at the end of the tour as well!
Whisky tasting of Yamazaki and Hakushu 12 yr with green tea or OJ?!
At the whisky store (In The Barrel), I was looking forward to finding a wide range of Yamazakis at decent prices. To my dismay, the selection was limited to the usual 12-25 year range and other Suntory products such as Hibiki and Hakushu. The crown jewel of the store was the Yamazaki 1984 but at 105,000Yen (~US$1,000) it was a tad bit overpriced in my opinion.
The Yamazaki Bar
Thankfully, there was a bar at the ground level where I could drown my sorrows. Browsing through the menu which had an extensive list of Scotch (Lagavulin, Macallan, Bowmore etc.), I spotted the Yamazaki 1984 which they sold by the glass at US$30. Doing some basic math (which was difficult given that I had 4 shots of whisky during the tasting about 10m before), I figured quickly that it was cheaper to drink the 1984 at the bar then to buy the bottle at the store.
THE REVIEW
Comments: A superb dram! The nose and the taste don't blow you away but the long, lingering fruit and crisp malt just took my breath away. I love how the whisky tastes really refined and elegant compared to Scotches of the same vintage. You can really appreciate the amount of thought they put into crafting the whisky. I'm sure it didn't hurt that they used Mizamaru Oak which imparted a sweet but not overpowering flavour. I am now officially a fan of Yamazaki. Kampei!
We're trying to beef up our Japanese whisky collection (and posts) to reflect the growing popularity of drams from the Rising Sun. Unfortunately, Japanese whiskies are pretty hard to find outside of the country which is why they are not very well reviewed generally. Anyhow, let's continue with the basic Suntory Yamazaki 12 year which is fairly easy to find in most bars and shops worldwide.
THE REVIEW
Comments:Maybe we're biased towards Japanese whiskies but this was a very good and easy to drink. It mimics a typical Scotch but with the touch of Japanese refinement. Keep one for your everyday collection!
A blend! It has been awhile since we sampled one (I think our Suntory Hibiki series was the last one) and we've sampled quite a few fancy blends before (Royal Salute series, Middleton, JW Blue Label). I also remember that the Ballentine's 17 year was also one of our first few reviews and we ranked it quite favourably. Now, let's see how it's 'younger brother' stacks up.
THE REVIEW
Comments: Scorched plastic was what we used to describe this. The nose was decent enough but the taste and finish was pretty and disappointing.
The Nectar D'Or is the updated version of the popular Sauternes finish by Glenmorangie. As you recall from our previous post on Glenmorangie's attempts at Wood Finish, we were not impressed. However, given that we are impartial to Sauternes (who isn't), we were quite excited to try this one out.
THE REVIEW
Comments: The fruity aroma hits the nose immediately and begs you to savour the dram. Apricots and citrus dominate the taste followed by strong hints of oak. A very delicious and easy after dinner drink indeed. We now know why this is selling very well for Glenmorangie.
Glendullan is a low profile distillery that is situated in Dufftown, probably the most famous whisky town in Speyside and self proclaimed 'Malt Whisky Capital of the World'. Another little known fact is that it is one of Diageo's biggest distilleries but is mainly used in blends such as Johnnie Walker. However, Diageo has started marketing Glendullan recently by introducing the it in the Singleton series which has won rave reviews from whisky experts. Let's find out how this 'original' bottle tastes.
THE REVIEW
Comments: This is a fruity, almost herbal and fairly well balanced malt. The taste is 'yummy' and easy to drink but the finish, like most standard 12 year offerings, could have been more substantial. Worth buying but doubt you'll find it as it may be replaced by the Singleton series already.
This is one of the few Lowland whiskies that we have in our collection and shamefully so. I'm not sure why they are not more popular as they offer a light, refreshing twist to the heavier Highland and Islay drams that we are used to.
THE REVIEW
Comments: A floral bouquet of lilies takes you in when you take a whiff of this dram. An absolutely lovely whisky to sip in the afternoon over a book or with friends.
The Mortlach 16 was a random bottle that Lip had bought to add to the collection. Mortlach is a key component of Johnnie Walker (along with Talisker) so it was interesting to see whether it was a keeper or should we 'Keep Walking'.
THE REVIEW
Comments: Lightly peated with slight tangy sweetness on the tongue. Comments heard during the tasting were 'tastes like Chinese medicine' and 'herbal jelly'. This dram could possibly cure any ailment that you have! Overall very decent and fairly priced.
It's been awhile since we sampled an Irish whiskey simply because we didn't have any others in our stash apart from the Bushmill's and Middleton that have already been reviewed. As luck would have it, one of our friends TB brought over a bottle of Redbreast after realizing the deficit in our collection. Redbreast is one of the pure pot still whiskies from Ireland available in the market. This traditional method of distilling the whisky, which combines both malted and unmalted barley, gives the whiskey a unique and strong flavour.
THE REVIEW
Comments: Fresh and floral with a slight nutty edge. Very complex for a 12 year whisky and has interesting sherry/wine-like flavours. Have one in your collection at all times to show what the Irish are capable of producing.
Talisker is the only distillery from the Isle of Skye in Scotland and currently owned by Diageo. It is used extensively in Johnnie Walker blends and most notably in the Green Label series. As one of our favourite distilleries, a vertical of the 10 year, 18 year and 1991 Distiller's edition in our collection was long overdue.
THE REVIEW
Talisker 10 Year Comments: This is the perfect dram to have with a barbeque (mmm...chicken wings and steak) on a sunny day. Has very strong peat and wine flavors and excellent finish. If I had to sum this drink in one word it would be 'Macho'.
Talisker 18 Year Comments: A more fruity, honeyed drink compared to the 10 year. The vanilla oak stands out and it is very smooth and easy to drink. Whether you would pick the 18 year or the 10 year would probably depend on your taste and mood at the time.
Talisker Distiller's Edition This is a pleasant, friendly and palatable drink. It does not taste like a Talisker and somehow the flavours are not as exciting. Two words to describe this drink: 'Crowd pleaser'.
Our great review of the Solera Reserve prompted us to try out more of the Glenfiddich range. Looking through the selection, we picked this bottle as 'cask strength' invoked feelings of power and greatness (typical men).
THE REVIEW
Comments: Unfortunately, we were half the men we thought we were and this dram completely overpowered us with leathery and tobacco-ey overtones. We added a few drops of water to save ourselves and it tasted slightly better with traces of fruit and sherry making an appearance. Not for the weak.
Longmorn is an old Speyside distillery known for churning out great whiskies. The 15 year expression is known as the 'Hidden Jewel of Speyside' and according to most reviews, excellent and affordable. The distillery is currently owned by Chivas, and they have decided to let the cat out of the bag by launching a 16 year edition in a fancy packaging as one of their upmarket brands. Let's see how it tastes...
THE REVIEW
Comments: A nice, refreshing fruity and honeyed dram suitable for a relaxing, sunny afternoon by the pool. Highly recommended!
American bourbon (hello Jack and Jim) used to be my staple alcohol back in college, for the simple reason that it goes really well with Coke. Fast forward 8 years later where I no longer mix my whisky with Coke anymore. Our first official tasting of a bourbon is the Blanton's Gold Edition, which is well regarded by most bourbon connoisseurs.
The Review
Comments: This is actually quite a decent whisky with strong vanilla and sweet honey tones. However, perhaps we are biased and not used to the taste of bourbon (made from corn instead of barley) so we gave it a lower score. We will have to revisit this one day after we try more bourbons in the collection.
Glen Ord is one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland and is known to produce fine, award winning whiskies. It's current owner, Diageo, launched The Singleton of Glen Ord as it's new range of whiskies catered to 'a new generation of malt whisky drinkers'. Hmm...we must be their target audience. Let us try the 18 year old expression.
The Review
Comments: The nose and taste was pleasant with the usual characteristics of a Speyside whisky, slightly sherried and peaty. However, the finishing was very much lacking and overall we were not impressed. Nice packaging and bottle though...it looks good as a gift.
Highland Park is one of the distilleries owned by Higland Distillers, which also owns the Macallan distillery. It is also one of the main constituents in the Famous Grouse blend, which we have yet to officially review. Highland Distillers has done a great job with its Macallan marketing machine and are now attempting to do the same with its Highland Park brand. It's called 'The Best Spirit in the World' on the website and the 18 year (older bottlings) is considered 'The greatest all-rounder in the world of malt whiskey' by Michael Jackson. Let's see how this dram scores objectively.
Comments: Maybe I'm getting bored with whiskies that have a winey (sherry) and slightly peaty flavour, a la Speysides (even though Highland Park is from the Isle of Orkney). Don't get me wrong. Overall, there's nothing really wrong with this whisky and it is very well rounded and easy to drink. Verdict - not exciting but definitely worth having in the cabinet
