Tuesday 28 February 2017

Let's Talk Condensers: 'Shell & Tube' and 'Worm Tubs'

Hi everyone,

Bit of a (hopefully interesting) discussion post about condensers.

Picture courtesy of Penderyn Distillery-
Sketch of Penderyn Faraday Still
There are two main types of condenser used at distilleries: ‘Shell and Tube’ condensers and ‘Worm Tub’ condensers.
The type of condenser used hugely effects the flavour of the whisky, so it’s worth trying to wrap your head around understanding them.

Going back thousands of years, people would have cooled the alcohol vapour from their stills for collection by a simple coil surrounded by cold water. This is the same idea used for the ‘Worm Tub’ condenser. They are not used as much today by distilleries, in fact only approximately 15 use them on their equipment. The simple Worm Tub was superseded by the ‘Shell and Tube’ condenser in the 1960’s, from my research it seems that Macduff Distillery was the first to have them installed in 1962/3. Every distillery was using Worm Tubs before that and I think it’s a fair assumption that most distilleries replaced their Worm Tubs with the more efficient Shell and Tubes between 1963-1972ish, although little information is actually available on when distilleries swapped over.

However, Brora used Worm Tubs and the new Clynelish distillery had Shell and Tubes, this was also the case with Linkwood A and B, with A having Worm Tubs and B having Shell and Tubes, so it’s not difficult to imagine that distilleries all around Scotland were swapping over in the late 1960’s-early 1970’s.

The design of the Worm Tub is essentially a tapered copper coil coming from the end of the Lyne arm to the spirit receiver. The coil is surrounded by a vat of cold water that is pumped in at the bottom and is allowed to overflow at the top. The end coming from the still is quite large and the diameter decreases slowly as the coil descends (from 400mm-75mm typically).

The spirit coming into the coil condenses slowly as the coil tapers and the water becomes colder towards the bottom. This causes the spirit to interact much less with the copper of the coil, but just enough to leave deposits (copper sulphate I assume) that are not stripped off. As the Worm Tub continues to be used, these deposits will keep developing, causing less reaction with the copper over time.

Unfortunately, Worm Tubs are much harder to clean and repair. Often they can get small leaks, meaning that spirit is lost into the water of the Tub.

The result: A much more oily and full bodied new make that will contain a lot of volatile sulphur compounds (which can often come across as ‘meaty,’ ‘rubbery,’ or ‘dirty’ in flavour).

A Shell & Tube Condenser at Penderyn Distillery
The design of a ‘Shell and Tube’ Condenser is very different. The shell is an empty tube that the spirit vapours can pass to and the tube is actually tubeS. Many small tubes run from the top of the condenser to the bottom, normally around 30mm in diameter and 2.5-3.5m in length. The small tubes are all pumped with cold water from bottom to top. A small condenser might have 150 of these tubes, a large one 250.

The spirit vapour coming into the ‘Shell’ will hit the tubes running through the condenser and will condense. This condensation releases latent heat which will force interactions between the spirit and copper, removing unwanted sulphur compounds and dissolving some copper into the spirit. This last part is important because the copper is kept clean by the constant reactions and is left clean for more reaction to take place.

They are also much easier to clean and replace parts if there are problems.


This results in a cleaner new make spirit with very little sulphur compounds that would affect the flavour (Any left in the spirit can then be removed by maturation).

Distilleries still using Worm Tubs:
  • Balmenach
  • Benrinnes
  • Cragganmore
  • Craigellachie
  • Dalwhinnie
  • Edradour
  • Glen Elgin
  • Glenkinchie
  • Knockdu (AnCnoc)
  • Mortlach
  • Oban
  • Old Pulteney
  • Royal Lochnager
  • Speyburn
  • Springbank (Wash Still Only)
  • Talisker
  • Linkwood ‘A’ (Closed 2011)
  • Brora (Closed 1983)
  • Dallas Dhu (1983)
  • I’m sure there are other closed distilleries that used Worm Tubs, but can’t find any others.

What is interesting is that of these distilleries, most of them are owned by Diageo. I would have thought that with the invention of the more efficient and less costly Shell and Tube, Diageo would have completely replaced the Worms.

But wait, there’s more!

There are also those who have experimented with Steel condensers. Again, little info is available but I assume that these follow the design of the Shell and Tube but made of steel instead of copper. The idea was to create an efficient condenser but allowing the more sulphury style of spirit to come through like in a Worm Tub. Interesting stuff, although mostly behind the scenes I think. Dailuaine used steel condensers from around 2003 to 2006, when they went back to copper. I have heard reports that other distilleries experimented with the steel condensers but quickly but quickly went back to what they had previously.

Roseisle and Ailsa Bay are currently the only distilleries I can find that still uses steel condensers. Interesting, given that they are both very large and that almost all the output from both will never be drunk as single malt. Roseisle use them as an option on some of their stills some of the time. All of it goes into blends. Ailsa Bay have 4 steel condensers, 2 on wash stills and 2 on spirit stills, but again they produce a variety of whiskies mainly for blending.

Thanks for reading!

Thursday 23 February 2017

Glenfarclas 105 (10 Year Old) Review

Hi everyone,

A big Sherried beast today. Glenfarlcas 105. Glenfarclas, of course, is the traditional, direct firing, Sherry cask maturing, independent distillery, thinking about the long term. Great age statement range, with the older stuff at reasonable prices still.

I wouldn’t say I’m a huge fan of Glenfarclas, as I tend to prefer Glendronach but I’ve tasted quite a few now and they’ve definitely got a different style.
I’m visiting the distillery later in May and doing the Generations tasting, which will be epic. Really looking forward to it.

Oh, this is the high strength/cask strength version that has appeared as an NAS and with an age statement of 10 years. This one was one of the latter.

Glenfarclas 105 10 year old 60%
Colour: Dark Amber
Body: Full
Nose: Sweet sherry and sharp alcohol, raisin, date, sweet syrup and thick honey, a little clove.
Water: Still quite sharp. More clove with dark and milk chocolate coming out. Christmas cake with spice. A 'green' oaky note.
Taste: Sharp, assertive, very sweet, loads of sherry and brown sugar, alcohol taking over, then receding with drying sweetness and lots of oaky spice.
Water: More soft and a little creamy, still quite strong spicy clove and oak.
Finish: Long length. Sweet brown sugar and sherry.
Water: Rough oak spice.
Wahh! What a beast. Unbalanced but an honest, straightforward dram. Sherry and spirit influence a little inseperable. I think I prefer Aberlour A’Bunadh in the end as something a little less harsh.
69/100

Thanks for reading!

Review #337

Network Average: 74.5
Best Score: 92
Worst Score: 44
0-49 Terrible
50-59 Bad
60-64 Just About OK
65-69 Ok to Good
70-74 Good
75-79 Very Good
80-84 Excellent
85-89 Superb
90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, I have never accepted free samples from anyone in the whisky industry, but have bought bottles or samples with my money, bringing a different set of biases. Also, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Monday 20 February 2017

Glendronach 1993 Single Cask Review

Hi everyone,

Got something special today.

Single cask Glendronach.

When I first started tasting whisky, the idea was to get a really special bottle for my 21st birthday from my birth year. But I wanted to be able to appreciate this bottle and choose something special too. I needed to know what I was doing.

So I found Ralfy’s videos and watched those, then started to learn more. I started to learn what words like ‘colouring free,’ ‘Non-Chillfiltered,’ ‘cask strength,’ and ‘single cask’ meant and why they were important. After trying the 15yo Revival, I decided this was the one to go for.

I finished the bottle ages ago but saved a small sample for future me to try.

Glendronach 1993 Single Cask 59.4%
Colour: Dark Amber
Body: Full
Nose: Sweet and spicy. Dry, rich, lots of fruit- plums, dates, raisins, dark cherries, dry sherry, toffee, 80% dark chocolate, leather, dried banana, herbal note- clove, liquorice, vanilla pods, honey, strong tea, nutty, perfumey notes, wax, figs, ginger.
Coming back to my sample I saved- Brown sugar, dry oak, soy sauce, less fruit than I remember, but some earthy and meaty complexity I don’t remember being there before.
Water: More toffee, butterscotch, little bit of chocolatey malt, vanilla fudge, brown sugar, golden syrup, toffee coffee.
Taste: Sweet, fresh clean sherry, dried fruit- Fig, date, plum, some leather, cherry, raisin, drying with tannins, toffee, clove, spice, pepper and salt. Sometimes red wine, lots of brown sugar, well brewed tea. After some time a chocolatey malt note develops.
Coming back to my sample I saved- Big, very rich, dry oak, fruity with black cherry, plum and date, dark chocolate, then spicy oak builds with ginger and something perfumed. Just as delicious as I remember.
Water: Softer arrival, less spicy, less oak, more brown sugar, honey and a perfumed note. Really thick and chewy, then lots of 90% dark chocolate into the finish.
Finish: Long length. Drying with burnt sugar, oak, dark chocolate and some coffee.
Cask 536, bottled 06/2012. Even more delicious brown sugar after time in the bottle. Really enjoyed this but prices of these single casks rose quite a bit after I got this, also 1993 seems to be a really popular vintage and always sells out super fast.
83/100

Thanks for reading!

Review #336

Network Average: 74.5
Best Score: 92
Worst Score: 44
0-49 Terrible
50-59 Bad
60-64 Just About OK
65-69 Ok to Good
70-74 Good
75-79 Very Good
80-84 Excellent
85-89 Superb
90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, I have never accepted free samples from anyone in the whisky industry, but have bought bottles or samples with my money, bringing a different set of biases. Also, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Sunday 19 February 2017

Craigellachie 13 Review

Hi everyone,

Let’s continue on the Worm Tub theme, shall we?

Craigellachie uses Worm Tubs, but that seems to be the only interesting thing about the distillery, little other information is available.
Craigellachie has recently gotten the attention it deserves with a whole range of whiskies brought to you by Bacardi, along with Royal Brackla and Aultmore in a range called ‘The Last Great Malts of Scotland.’ Bit overdramatic if you ask me… but no one is.
For Craigellachie they’ve used a refreshingly old style label and odd numbers for the ages, 13, 17, 19 and 23. I’ve heard good things about the 23 but can’t afford that kind of money for whisky that isn’t Sherried Ledaig.

So instead, I got a sample of the 13 to try.

Craigellachie 13 46%
Colour: Light Gold
Body: Light/Medium
Nose: Very fresh and fruity. Lemon citrus, grapefruit, a little watermelon, vanilla and marzipan, porridge. A little rubbery note.
Taste: Gentle arrival, staying gentle with vanilla and soft marzipan, porridge, then developing lemon and sweet lime, white sugar and then pastry and harsh oak into the finish.
Finish: Medium length. Sappy harsh oak and a burst of weird rubbery juice.
Feinty maybe? The rubber notes are weird and really detracted from the finish, making you want to drink something else to get rid of the taste. Possibly a bad batch, but then again could be the Worm Tubs talking in a bad way.
63/100

Thanks for reading!

Review #335

Network Average: 74.5
Best Score: 92
Worst Score: 44
0-49 Terrible
50-59 Bad
60-64 Just About OK
65-69 Ok to Good
70-74 Good
75-79 Very Good
80-84 Excellent
85-89 Superb
90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, I have never accepted free samples from anyone in the whisky industry, but have bought bottles or samples with my money, bringing a different set of biases. Also, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Thursday 16 February 2017

Oban 14 Review

Hi everyone,

I've got another big Diageo classic today: Oban.

Because Diageo like to keep Oban whiskies locked up in their Johnnie Walker, they don't release much of it apart from the 14yo. Shame, because I bet it's epic at cask strength.
Wish their was an annual 12yo cask strength of this, Dalwhinnie, Cragganmore and Talisker. Rather than just Lagavulin.
 
Like Dalwhinnie and the other classic malts, Oban uses worm tub condensers to give it more of an oily and meaty character.

Oban 14 43%
Colour: Diageo GoldTM
Body: Medium/Full
Nose: Intense fruit- Apple, pear, some lemon, oak with a little smoke and soot in the background. Fresh pipe tobacco and leather, spice with a little salt and pepper, a little artificial toffee and caramel (Maybe the colouring talking?)
Taste: Rich fruit- Apple and lemon. Woody development with lots of oak and spice. More than a touch of earthy bitter soot but surprise pockets of fruit and citrus. Good balance.
Finish: Medium length. Spicy oak and soot fades with faint fruitiness.
Smokier than I remembered. Good balance and complexity.
73/100

First time I tried this I thought it deserved the same mark as Dalwhinnie 15 but now I think it's up there with the less good batches of Lagavulin 16.

Thanks for reading!

Review #334

Network Average: 74.3
Best Score: 92
Worst Score: 44
0-49 Terrible
50-59 Bad
60-64 Just About OK
65-69 Ok to Good
70-74 Good
75-79 Very Good
80-84 Excellent
85-89 Superb
90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, I have never accepted free samples from anyone in the whisky industry, but have bought bottles or samples with my money, bringing a different set of biases. Also, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Wednesday 15 February 2017

Dalwhinnie Winter's Gold & 15 Reviews

Do you know which whisky company is using the most 'worm tubs' in their distilleries?

Answer: Diageo

Worm tubs restrict the copper contact on the condenser, increasing notes of sulphur and an oily mouthfeel.
One of these distilleries is Dalwhinnie, which is known for the 15 year old they've done for a while. More recently though, they've released an NAS whisky called Winter's Gold with some story about filling the casks in winter or drinking with ice. Ignore that, let's get to the whisky.

Dalwhinnie Winters Gold 43%


Colour: Diageo GoldTM
Body: Medium
Nose: Pretty classic Highland nose. Heather, honey, light spice, vanilla toffee, a tiny hint of smoke.
Taste: Soft, very honeyed, heather, sweet honey, caramel, a bit of harsh spice, ginger, light oak with toffee then a little suggestion of smoke, singed heather. Slightly oily, which saves it.
Finish: Short length. Honey with some green oak.
The just enough here to save it from mediocrity, but not nearly as good as the 15.
66/100

Now that we're here, I'll post my notes for the 15 too.
Only had it once at a bar and didn't really have time to properly assess it but here are the notes I made:

Dalwhinnie 15
Colour: Diageo GoldTM
Body: Medium
Nose: Lovely classic Highland profile. Full of honey and vanilla, slightly outdoorsy with heather.
Taste: Good mouthfeel, probably the best aspect of this one. More of the nose, honey, heather, vanilla and some spice comes through.
Finish: Medium length. The spices fade off.
Classic style, but doesn't quite have the character of Oban or some of the other Diageo classics.
72/100

Thanks for reading!
Review #332-#333

Network Average: 74.3
Best Score: 92
Worst Score: 44
0-49 Terrible
50-59 Bad
60-64 Just About OK
65-69 Ok to Good
70-74 Good
75-79 Very Good
80-84 Excellent
85-89 Superb
90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, I have never accepted free samples from anyone in the whisky industry, but have bought bottles or samples with my money, bringing a different set of biases. Also, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Monday 13 February 2017

Old Grand-Dad 114 Bourbon Review

Hi everyone,

Back with another Bourbon review from the eyes of a Scotch man.

I was in a restaurant in Cardiff the other day and spotted this high strength Bourbon. Caught my eye because we don't get much of that here. There wasn't anything else interesting and the barman gave me 20% off! So, great result really.

Old Grand Dad 114 57%
Colour: Light Bronze
Body: Full
Nose: Intense, of course. Lots of fresh oak, freshly sawn oak planks, mint sprig, salted caramel. After a second, lovely but intense spices- Clove, cinnamon, ginger.
Taste: Woah, soft first then a great building development with a good helping of oak and lots of complex spice. Dry with sawn oak planks, a little spicy toffee, cinnamon, lots of clove, ginger, rye-type spice.
Finish: Long length. Complex spices leave slowly.
A pretty dry and classic Bourbon but a rare balance achieved.
Didn't know this was from Beam at the time, so wasn't looking for/didn't get any of the funky type of flavour you Bourbonites talk about.
For reference GTS was my favourite Bourbon so far with 80/100.
77/100

Thanks for reading!
Review #331

Network Average: 74.6
Best Score: 92
Worst Score: 44
0-49 Terrible
50-59 Bad
60-64 Just about OK
65-69 Ok to Good
70-74 Good
75-79 Very Good
80-84 Excellent
85-89 Superb
90+ Magnificent

Wednesday 8 February 2017

Highland Park: The Oldies (25yo-40yo!) Scotch Review 300!!

Hi everyone,

Some more Highland Park today for my 300th Scotch review! It’s the older ones. I realised thpough that I totally lied when I said I haven’t reviewed any yesterday, because I have. I reviewed the 21 year old, which would fit in nicely here before the 25, which is what we’ll start with today.

All of these are samples for the miniature pack I got, or samples I bought from Master of Malt.

Highland Park 25 48.1%
Colour: Amber
Body: Medium/Full
Nose: Wow, old and sophisticated. Intense liquorice, liquorice allsorts, very dry oak, bitter orange marmalade, Seville orange, orange oil, grapefruit pith and peel, spicy European oak, a perfumed note, dried heather, fresh car leather, old oloroso Sherry, some cherry. Over time more of the sweet and heathery notes take over with some tobacco and a little smoke.
Water: More fresh and citrusy again. Lime and orange juice,
Taste: Soft arrival, quickly building sweetness, Sherry, beautiful orange and fresh cherry combo, some spicy oak coming through, European oak, very oily and full, grapefruit flesh, liquorice, clove, lemon, lime and orange citrus, old Sherry oak, more spices develop, ginger. Great development.
Water: More citrusy, grapefruit, orange juice acidic, lime juice, various citrus peels, very acidic and going quite oaky actually. A bit out of balance.
Finish: Long length. Fresh, mouth watering, citrus, orange, spice, quite a bit of oak.
Very fresh and citrusy, retains it’s citrus-y flavours while having the older Sherry notes present too, just a little out of balance at times, especially the finish (Yes, I know. I’m fussy)
84/100

Let’s do an indie before we get to the 30’s.

Highland Park 1985 Mackillop's Choice 51.6%
Colour: Gold
Body: Medium/Full
Nose: Refill style. Fruity and intense, natural with sweety shop. Strawberry laces, Percy pigs (M&S sell ‘em in the UK), orange, mango, watermelon, a little grapefruit. Huge oak presence in the background, a LOT of oak- Lots of liquorice, some clove. A small smoky note- Sooty liquorice root.
Water: Softer, less sweety shop and more liquorice and oak. White grape, elderflower, a little mango still.
Taste: Sweet hit then recedes then a gradual development. Quite sweet with tropical fruit- mango, oak is there, again a LOT of it- Dry old oak, dry liquorice, oaky spice- ginger, clove and white pepper and a lot of tannins, then watermelon juice, a little dusty yeast note. Ash into the finish.
Water: Creamier then more sharp old oak and the yeast note (a little mango) becomes more apparent and harsher, especially into the finish. After a bit of time the oak takes over the yeast and sharp tannins and spices prevail.
Finish: Medium/Long length. Liquorice root and watermelon gradually die away. With water it goes a bit weird with a kind of white wine-y yeast and sharp oaky spice.
Like the 15 year old with a tonne more oak! An absolute liquorice bomb. Distilled 1985, bottled 2014. 29 years old, cask 370.
Doesn't swim well! Think this is a little over (Euro) oaked, could have been bottled a few years earlier.
75/100

Here we go, older. I’ve always wanted to compare the two bottlings of the 30yo, one at the higher strength and the new one at lower strength.

Highland Park 30 (New) 45.7%
Colour: Amber
Body: Medium
Nose: Sweeter and fresher than the old 30yo. Old oak, old Sherry, worn leather, sweet black cherry, black cherry jam, vanilla pod, marzipan, dried orange peel, sweet orange marmalade.
Taste: Sweet arrival with lots of black cherry, marzipan, old Sherry, heather, spicy oak with ginger and liquorice, amazing, oily, fat and full, complex sweetness, orange oil, old oils and incredible balance, softer into the finish.
Finish: Long length. Marzipan, vanilla sweetness, black cherry, some oak. More subtle and soft.
Overall, sweeter and more straightforward than the old 30yo, but less complex. More 1st fill Sherry maybe?
85/100

Highland Park 30 (Old) 48.1%
Colour: Amber
Body: Medium/Full
Nose: Much more austere, dry and oaky than the new 30yo. An old school style. A lot of oak, very dry, black cherry gateaux, black cherry syrup, complex herbs and herbal notes, thyme, basil, dried lavender, dried flowers, homemade paper, garden shed, old tools, 90% dark chocolate, good quality black coffee, a great dark bitterness.
Really rewards taking time with it.
Water: Much fresher with some citrus coming out, orange citrus, earthy with some heathery smoke.
Taste: Amazing arrival on sweeter sherry, perfect balance, some smoke, old heather, dried lavender, pressed flowers, complex spice and oak building, ginger and liquorice, black cherry, orange oil, syrupy and oily, leather and tobacco come through with some outdoorsy smoke, chewy and just keeps evolving on the dark cherry theme with perfect balance.
Water: Oaky arrival, complex oak, dry and austere, more earthy and smoky, lots more heather, black cherry still there, spicy oak with ginger and black pepper.
Finish: Long length. More smoke, some complex spice, heather, oak, sherry and more black cherry.
More smoke and more complex than the old 30yo. Amazing stuff, incredibly elegant arrival.
88/100

And the big finale! 40 year old Highland Park.

Highland Park 40 48.3%

Colour: Dark Amber
Body: Full
Nose: Old. It speaks of a different time. Powerful, emotional and truly superb. A huge influence of the oak and time, spicy with a quite powerful black pepper, sea salt, smoke still there, put out campfire, dunnage, great chocolate-y-ness with lovely dark chocolate and chocolate cake, dried black cherry, oily liquorice, old oils and herbs.
Coming back a second time there's a fantastic earthy note, just wow. 93 for the nose.
Water: More chocolatey and earthy. An earthy smoke, roasted coffee beans.
Taste: Powerful arrival, huge oak and perfect sweetness, dried cherry, blistering oak, old smoke, very spicy black pepper and sea salt, stays and stays with building complex spice, then some more sweetness and herbal notes, leather, tobacco, dried heather, burnt heather, pressed flowers, layers of chocolate, strong black coffee here too, more complex oak. Lovely chewy mouthfeel especially towards the finish.
Water: Spicy, intense, loads of black pepper, then recedes to leave sweet sherry, fresh orange, orange oil, very complex sweetness, heathery smoke, much more earthy into the finish.
Finish: Long/Very Long length. Old dried cherry, tobacco, very soft old Sherry, then oily liquorice, oily smoke and soft black pepper.
Words can't really do it justice. Noses just wonderfully, maybe the best nose I've had on a whisky, and if the taste was on par it would be my first 93, but of course, after 40 years there’s a lot of oak on the palate.
90/100

So, Highland Park is a great distillery, despite being reasonably available.
The old stuff is amazing, but the big question is: Is it worth the money?
Highland Park prices have risen very steeply the last few years. When Ian Buxton went crazy and put a load of HP’s in 101 whiskies, he said that Highland Park 40 was £800, now you’re lucky to find it under £2000 if not more. The 30yo was £250 a while ago, now most of them are going for £400. It’s had an effect on the other bottlings too, even the 18yo I bought in Tesco for £74 is now £100 everywhere (if they have it at all).
In some cases, yes, they are worth it. The 21 is maybe the best value for the older stuff, but the 18 is was great at the price I got it for. The 12 is great value for money when it’s on deal too.

Thanks for reading! Here’s to the next 100!!

Scotch review #300
Reviews #326-#330

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, I have never accepted free samples from anyone in the whisky industry, but have bought bottles or samples with my money, bringing a different set of biases. Also, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Network Average: 74.6
Best Score: 92
Worst Score: 44
0-49 Terrible
50-59 Bad
60-64 Just About OK
65-69 Ok to Good
70-74 Good
75-79 Very Good
80-84 Excellent
85-89 Superb
90+ Magnificent

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