Whisky : Highland Park 26 Year SMWS 4.237 “Essence of Orkney”

Country/Region : Scotland/Islands

ABV : 51.9%

Cask : 24Y Ex-Bourbon, 2Y First Fill American Oak PX Hogshead

Age : 26 Years (Distilled 31 May 1991)

Nose : Seaside barbecue with salty air and subtle smoke.  Platter of dried fruits: dried mango, dried pears, marzipan pastries, and a pot of fresh apple sauce.  Coal fired grill come alive with grilled clams, mussels, and abalone.  Sitting in the background are herbal notes of winter mint and pine along with salt crusted driftwood.

Palate : Medium bodied with undertones of fish oil, maritime salt, and beachside bonfires.  Damp driftwood fire, drying mineral rich salt ponds, and oily smoked salmon come through right away. Slightly astringent herbal rooibos tea, dried mangos, and sharp salty citrus arrive on the end.  A bit of water brought out sweet mesquite wood smoke and salt rimmed tropical margaritas.

Finish :  Long and herbal with campfire smoke and salt.

Score : 7

Mental Image : Driftwood Grill Mango Margarita.

Something Similar : Cragganmore 13Y SMWS 37.81 (similar salt/fruit/margarita, more waxy/oil)

Something Worse : Highland Park 18Y; TWE Black Friday ’18 (similar margarita & citrus, more medicinal)

Something Worse : Compass Box No Name; 2nd Ed. (similar saltponds, citrus, less herbal/complex)

Notes : Originally poured as part of a virtual celebratory birthday party for our local whisky group, this was easily voted worst of the evening.  After returning to it a few times, it became very clear that the whisky simply got drowned up by the rest of the lineup.  Though we only did four whiskies in the tasting and this was at the #3 position, those first two definitely numbed the palate quite a bit.  I expected this to be better when I returned to try it with a fresh palate, but I was surprised just how much more I liked it.

This was absolutely lovely with heaps of drying salt ponds, fruits, herbs, and smoked seafood.  These different flavor elements combined nicely to give this whisky a delicious complexity.  A few drops of water took the whisky in a different direction, highlighting sweet mesquite fired grill rather than coal and brought forward more sweet tropical fruits and salt.  This was really lovely and a real treat to be able to try.  It no doubt sits outside my normal price range and was a good deal older than any of the other single cask Highland Park I have been fortunate enough to try.