2005 Blackadder Raw Cask The Old Man of Hoy Orcadian 12 Year Old Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

Blackadder have a good reputation for quality. This one is pretty text book for a certain Orcadian distillery. In fact, it's reminiscent of HP's recent Batch 1 Cask Strength which weighed in at a similar ABV. This is older material. Initially citric and piercing, the nose settles in with a heather honey/malt combination that's characteristic of this distillate, underscored by discreet earthy peat and complexed by a faint grassiness. The palate delivers more of the same low-smoke 'Highlandparkness' , which is often when this distillery shows its best. Oily, mouthfilling and supremely balanced to the point where water isn't required, a honeyed-cereal theme plays out with a gently peaty vibe, while bitter dark chocolate, controlled spices and a touch of citrus add vitality. If you missed out on the official cask strength bottling, get this. Oddly, it was bottled way back in January 2018, so we'd assume all 352 bottles were lost in a warehouse during the interim. Readers should note: Robin Tucek places particular emphasis on purity, so even the natural cask sediments are retained in the bottle. This is not a production fault. 60.7% Alc./Vol. Non chill filtered. Limited to one bottle per customer.

Other reviews... We’ve already tried some very good ‘Old Mans’ by Blackadder through the years! Colour: straw. Nose: I now understand why Duncan Taylor would have decided to finish some similar make in an Octave, as this is clearly not for anybody. Extremely austere and chalky, full of raw sheep’s wool, with quite some ultra-acidic lemon juice too, pebbles, gravel, soot and ink. Karl-Heinz Stockhausen rather than Céline Dion, I would say. With water: the same rubbery notes as in the octave, but those are assets in HP. More bicycle inner tubes. Mouth (neat): bone dry, ultra-lemony and chalky arrival, the kind that takes no prisoners at all. Then bitter grasses that tend to try to bite your tongue. How sharp is that! With water: I love my water, it did wonders here. Perfect lemon and chalk combo, with a lot of tension and verticality. You know, the best Sancerres and whatnot… Finish: long and just utterly perfect. Lemon, chalk, muesli. Comments: it takes time and quite some good water, but it’s then very rewarding provided you enjoy these vertical styles. Almost a Kärcher malt, some great sharp HP.
89 points - whiskyfun.com