Category Archives: Scotch

Starting this year our friends at Highland Park are releasing a series of four whiskys called the Valhalla Collection, inspired by the Norse gods. Coming out at a clip of one each year, the first one out of the gate is the big gun: Thor.

This 16-year-old whisky, from Orkney (where all HP hails from) is bottled at a hefty 104.2 proof, so consider that when approaching this spirit head-on.

A fun combination of traditional characteristics and really unique ones, Thor is an enigmatic and exciting little whisky. Woody and malty with evergreen, forest floor, and sawdust on the nose, it is a deeper and richer whisky than Highland Park usually is, less sweet and spicy than many of the distillery’s standard bottlings.

The body is very rich, a smoldering whisky that mixes orange and apple fruit, plus some banana, with those wood tones. Massive amounts of heat here. Add water to bring it back to a level easier to pick out the nuances.

Pretty insane packaging, by the by.

A- / $200 / highlandpark.co.uk

Though it’s just 10 years old (making it the youngest in this series of whiskys), this Isle of Skye-born malt, finished in Amoroso sherry casks, is the most expensive in the 2012 collection.

Part of that has to do with the elevated proof level, and part has to do with the richness of the dram. The smoky peat is well integrated into the sweet body, where flavors of orange, nougat, and cherry character. Not overly woody (it’s just 10 years old, after all) this is a well structured whisky that’s both easy to sip on yet more complex than you’d think. The smoke and sweetness play perfectly well together here, and while it lacks the austerity that you typically want to find in older whiskys, it’s got more than enough going on for an evening dram.

91.6 proof.

A- / $83 / malts.com

[photo not available]

Day two of our Classic Malts Distillers Edition 2011 coverage continues with this 15-year-old Dalwhinnie, born in the Highlands of Scotland and finished in Oloroso sherry casks.

Big honey and nougat notes here, this spirit is showing a lovely maturity and balance, with smoldering maltiness that exhibits a touch of smoke on it. Coconut and a bit of banana are also present, atop a mild and pleasant sweetness driven by that citrus-fueled Sherry body. Some green pepper character in the finish doesn’t detract; instead it adds a touch of complexity.

In the grand scheme of things this is a very mild single malt, but it’s one that is surprisingly rich with flavor. All in all, a lovely little dram.

86 proof.

A- / $81 / malts.com

Bruichladdich calls this “without doubt the most important release in our history.” That is some heavy language, and so far the world has responded in agreement. It was recently named the single malt whisky of the year from Whisky Advocate, capping a run of high praise for the dram.

Why is this humble 10-year-old so important? Because it is the first release from the company under its current ownership based solely on spirits it distilled and put into casks. In 2001 Jim McEwan bought the then-closed distillery (and its aging stock), and fired up the stills. In late 2011 he bottled his first whisky, called it Laddie Ten, and declared it would be the company’s flagship Scotch henceforth.

That’s a lot to rest on this Laddie’s shoulders, but I’ll agree that the praise is valid. Aromas of banana and orange fill the room just from cracking open the bottle, very fresh and very sweet. Stick your nose in the glass and it’s amplified all the more.

On the palate, smooth honey, gingerbread, mild malt and grain, and citrus overtones. A touch of sea salt, as you’d expect from an Islay (albeit peat-free) whisky. Big, big body, belying the relative youth of this malt, which helps to balance some surprisingly vibrant and strong flavors. Some very light hints of smoke on the back end. The sherry-infused finish however is indicative of a younger whisky, but that’s not so much a fault as it is a simple reality of getting a $50 single malt into the bottle. Certainly a whisky that is worthy of both everyday and special occasion drinking, but affordable enough to have on hand at all times.

A- / $50 / bruichladdich.com

The story behind the creation of Cask of Dreams is beyond anything else I’ve ever heard of in the five years I’ve been writing this blog.

If you don’t know the tale, draw near, and listen to the story of how you make a truly unique whisky.

Cask of Dreams starts with off-the-rick Glenfiddich, with Malt Master Brian Kinsman picking 14- to 16-year-old casks of the lightest style of whisky he could find.

Meanwhile, Glenfiddich ambassadors took 11 new, unused oak casks and took them to the streets of 11 U.S. cities. No, literally. They rolled them around, had locals sign them, then had a party to celebrate all things ‘Fiddich.

The 11 casks were then sent back to the Highlands of Scotland, and the whisky from those aforementioned casks was put into these new oak casks for finishing. New oak will age a spirit mighty fast, so it was watched carefully, bottling after three months in those “Casks of Dreams” at 97.6 proof. The whisky from those 11 casks was mingled in the final vatting: There’s only one 2011 Cask of Dreams, not 11 of them.

3,500 bottles were made, all to be sold in the U.S.

This is a unique and intriguing whisky. I can’t think of any other release that used new oak at any point in the creation. Notably, there is no ex-sherry wood in this blend, increasingly common for single malt whisky.

It’s really a lovely, and dangerously drinkable malt. Despite a respectable age and despite the new oak influence, it is remarkably light in body, lush with character. Vanilla pops out first on the nose, and that carries over to the body. Here you’ll also find big apple fruit — almost applesauce, with cinnamon notes, especially once you add water — plus lots of exotic cedar box and incense lacing. The finish turns to figs, golden raisins, and some cooked stone fruit flavors. But none of this is overcooked the way some old whiskys can be. There’s no real raw wood influence here, just that smooth vanilla that I chalk mainly up to the years it spends in ex-Bourbon barrels.

Cask of Dreams will be back in 2012, this time with an art-focused bent on the barrels and a more international vibe perhaps. Meanwhile, this bottling is already hard to find. Snap it up if you can.

A- / $100 / caskofdreams.com

Distilled in 1998, bottled in 2010, this special edition of Highland Park 12 Years Old is only available in duty free shops, where I picked one up in the airport during my recent trip to Frankfurt, Germany.

Tragically I don’t have any of the standard HP12 here to compare it against, but I did sample it alongside my old standby Highland Park 18 Years Old just to see the family bond.

Highland Park 1998, distilled for the distillery’s 200th anniversary, offers the classic mix of sweet and smoke that Highland Park is known for. Nougat and honey are strong in the forefront, along with orange marmalade character. More smokiness — sweet peat and charcoal fire — than you would think comes on in the finish, lasting and lightly warming.

The 1998 lacks the strong sherry character of HP18, and doesn’t quite nail that amazingly full and silky body, either. Still, the 1998 is quite a lovely dram with plenty of fireside character to recommend it.

80 proof.

A- / 45 euros per 1 liter bottle / highlandpark.co.uk