North Star Orkney 12 year 2007

North Star Spirits tasting night, Sydney, 18 July 2019. Whisky #5 Nose Neat: The first aromas encountered are bright barley grist and the fresh apple cider smell of fermenting wash. However this is not at all a yeasty nose, it just has a cereal vibrancy that is infrequently encountered. Next, light fragrant honey, a little vanilla and the soft glow of that heathery peat that only comes from Orkney drift into focus. Nose Watered: Adding water tones the cereal notes and lends them a creamy, buttery touch. It also brings out fruit aromas (green apple, nashi pear, apricot), deepens the honeyed-smoke and conjures a hazy recollection of fresh maritime breezes blowing through dunnage warehouses on the hill overlooking Kirkwall (oops, that's given the distillery away!). Palate Neat: The arrival is soft, clean and crisp with a slightly oily, briny citrus note that is reminiscent of rinsed preserved lemons. This very quickly develops further sweetness with white grapes and honey emerging against a curtain of ashen smoke. Palate watered: Dilution enlarges the palate and deepens the flavour profile. The briny citrus becomes sweeter and spicier, the grape notes become sweeter and more rounded (more like sultana, but definitely not raisin), the honey becomes darker and the ashy smoke gains a tarred rope quality. A mild spicy oak note steps into view and the texture is juicy and full with just the right balance between oily and creamy. Finish: Medium/Long. Soft and slightly oily with honey, light smoke and a herbal-lemon note on the aftertaste. A supurb whisky that could only have been produced by one distillery, and you don't need to do any detective work to know which one. This brings Highland Park to mind the instant you nose it, and once you taste it the identification is irrefutable. The nose emerges in layers as it develops in the glass, and the addition of water increases this effect. It's not overly tight on neat nosing, even though it has quite high abv, rather it's a nose of subtle, simple complexity. The palette of aromas is not wide, but each feature - fruit, honey, smoke etc. - has many facets. The palate is the equal of the nose, and is an excellent example of cask-strength Highland Park at its sparkling best. If you've never tasted a CS HP I'd strongly recommend it, as it reveals the distillery character in its purest and most naked form and they are generally nothing like the official bottlings. There was a SMWS bottling last year called "Island Holiday Snapshot" and this North Star Spirits edition is reminiscent of it - but this NSS is much the superior dram. A stunning whisky and at the very reasonable asking price it is a bargain and highly recommended. The cask yielded just 370 bottles so snap one up if you see it, or live in regret. "Excellent" : 89/100 (4.75 stars)