(Good Spirits Company, Glasgow - Virtual Whisky Tasting, Friday 14th August 2020).
An eighteen year old malt from an un-named Orkney distillery - almost certainly Highland Park. Bottled by A D Rattray in spring 2018.
Nose: Fragrant, butter, oats, light vanilla
Palate: Buttery, salty, light sweet peat smoke
Finish: Nutty, long finish, dusty oak/ wood. Drying peaty finish. Citrus aftertaste.
Well balanced between smokey, salty and oily. Nicely weighted.
Water brings out more of the oak and fruit and softens the oak. The finish becomes drier and more wooded.
This came joint third of the six whiskies tasted with 10% of the vote for favourite. This was my favourite of the tasting.
69.0
GBP
per
Bottle
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@icsteel154 Thanks! It's great to have recs from someone familiar with the area :)
@ContemplativeFox that’s awful. We had a similar problem, we were due to fly to Italy just as things started to get bad over there. This year we’re going to do a driving holiday close to home (and visit a few distilleries en-route). I don’t know where you are in the world, but Orkney is about as remote as you can get! If you are travelling from overseas to Scotland, make sure you plan in Glencoe (for the scenery) and Islay (for the whisky). Orkney is a long journey, but well worth it! Feel free to contact me when you’re route planning again, I’m happy to give some tips.
@icsteel154 Just looked at some pictures and it looks amazing! Beautiful rugged scenery and some fascinating remains of early civilization. Was planning to visit Scotland in May, but then CoViD hit. I'll have to include Orkney when I re-plan my trip :)
@ContemplativeFox Orkney is a great island for a visit. The history is fascinating and it’s a really friendly place. It’s pretty sparse and the weather can be pretty difficult, but if you were already in Scotland and had a couple of days spare it’s worth a trip. I’m heading back up there in a few weeks for a bit of an escape!
@icsteel154 That would explain why this hasn't been named an official whisky-producing region. Still, having so many distilleries there almost makes it worth a trip to Orkney :)
@ContemplativeFox, there are only two that make whisky - Highland Park and Scapa. The others mostly make gin - Orkney Distillery (Kirkjuvagr), Deerness (Sea Glass), Orkney Gin Compny (Orkney Gin). And J Gow makes rum. (I think Deerness also makes a vodka).
I thought an unnamed Orkney distillery sounded silly, but it looks like there are actually four of them, so who knows!