Highland Park 10 Year

How about a wee dram? This Highland Park 10 year single malt, single cask weighs in at a near unimaginable 129 proof! This is from the single cask series and was selected for the Tampa Bay Whiskey Society. In the glass this is the palest straw color. A swirl show thick sheeting with a few, slow tears. The nose on this is particularly challenging. The alcohol gets in the way if your nose gets too close! After an appropriate rest this is wonderfully floral, with notes of honey, white bread, iodine, and more. It's both complex and subtle. First impression on the palate is sweet, and then it hits. The profile is giant! Technicolor! Everything from light peat smoke to wet wood, hard butterscotch candies, juicy fruit gum, clover, brine, and more is present. When I purchased this at Gaspar's Liquor Shoppe in Tampa I was told a drop of water is a catalyst for excellence with this pour, so I added a 1/2 teaspoon of chilled, distilled water to my glencairn. Yes! The whole of it becomes more coherent. Grassy notes, honeysuckle, shortbread, ginger, clove and more make an appearance. This is a dram that rewards patience and studied examination I'm gobsmacked by this whisky. It's awesome! Definitely not a sip for every palate, and definitely not typical of a top shelf scotch, this is more like Godzilla took over a distillery and tossed everything from the town into the pot. And it works! I rate from 1 to 5 with 5 being perfect. This isn't perfect, but it's damned good. Really, really damned good. 4.25/5