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Highland Park Dark Origins Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)

Orkney Islands, SCOTLAND
$175. 00
Bottle
$2100.00 Dozen
ABV: 46.8%
Dark Origins is a new core bottling that celebrates the early days of Magnus Eunson's illicit distilling on Orkney, back before the Highland Park distillery was founded in 1798. Magnus worked as a butcher and church official by day, but by night he was a whisky smuggler and distiller.

It employs twice as many first fill sherry casks than the standard 12 Year Old (80% with the remainder American oak) but comes with no age statement.

Tasting note: Deep polished copper. The superb honey-infused malt bouquet is typical for this distillery. Edges towards honeycomb chocolate / hazelnut / caramel nib and café-crème in later passes. Dry yet juicy in the mouth with softly smoked cereals, honey and walnut slice. Ends delicately peaty, peppery, with hints of choc-ripple cookie and dried fruits amid the oak. Plenty to enjoy here, and one of the better HPs of recent times. Non chill filtered and bottled at 46.8% Alc./Vol.

Other reviews... Auburn/bronze color; flawless clarity. Mamma mia, I smell all sorts of slightly sour bake shop things, such as baker’s yeast, bread dough, starch, white flour, egg yolk; later inhalations introduce seductive aromas of citrus, vinegar, malted barley, sea salt, light toffee. Entry is toasted, semisweet, cereal-like, honeyed, caramel-like; midpalate soars with succulent flavors of raisins, stewed plums, salted sourdough bread, dried flowers. Ends on a sensationally luscious oloroso sherry note that points to the sherry cask aging. Utterly beguiling. Doubtless, one of the best whiskies from any nation that I’ve had this year. 5 stars
- F.Paul Pacult, www.spiritjournal.com