Tag Archive for: Single Malt

Whisky Review #40 – Highland Park 12 Years Old

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Highland Park needs no introduction. It is a popular brand globally and has won the hearts of many whisky lovers with their variety of whisky. For many years, the Highland Park 12 Years Old has delighted the nose and palate of many with its perfect harmony of aromatic smoky peat, sweet heather honey and rich fruit cake.

Tasting Notes:

Colour: Light Amber
ABV: 40%

Nose: The first sniff brings you heather-honey sweetness and smoky peat. The perfect mix of sweetness and smoke builds up an anticipation for the palate, inviting you to take a sip to wet the lips. As the nose opens up, orange squash and spiced yellow raisins come into the picture to build up the heather-honeyed peat, giving it more complexity. Hay and hints of nutmeg and cardamom come last to create a complete nose. (16/20)

Palate: A sip of this gold nectar brings a well-balanced smoky sweetness that delivers the full promise from the nose. Burnt grass with orange squash hits the palate before maltiness comes rushing in. Hints of honeyed raisins come after to round off the palate with the complexity from the nose. This is definitely good stuff from an ABV of 40%. (16/20)

Finish: The finish is medium long, which is interesting considering the low ABV. The lingering sweet and malty smokiness add to the appeal of this expression. (16/20)

Body: Highland Park 12 Years Old is a well-balanced expression with a good mix of sweet and smoke. Definitely a delicious dram and an easy drink. (30/40)

Total Score: 78/100

Comments:

Geek Spice: The 12 Years Old is an easy drink which can be taken as an after-dinner drink. The lower ABV also adds to its appeal as an after-dinner drink. 

 

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    The Macallan 1824 Master Series

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    The Macallan 1824 Master Series is a luxury range within The Macallan portfolio. It showcase the top-notch quality of The Macallan’s use of sherry casks and each expression increase in rarity as you go up the tier. All the whiskies in the range are hand selected by their Master Distiller, Bob Dalgarno. The 1824 Master Series is a level up from the 1824 Series that we have shared previously. This Master Series starts with the Macallan Rare Cask, which is one tier higher than Ruby, the last of the 4 bottles in the 1824 Series.

    The luxury range of The Macallan 1824 Master Series are made with first-fill, 100% sherry-seasoned casks. It showcases the 100% natural colour that The Macallan is so proud of, and the beautiful spectrum of colours brings to life the interaction of the peerless spirit and the exceptional oak casks. The Macallan’s unique Six Pillars are definitely at the heart of this luxurious collection.

    The Macallan has taken time to release the 1824 Master Series, starting with the Rare Cask and the Macallan M, before releasing Reflexion and No. 6 to complete the series. The Rare Cask Black was later introduced to the market as a peated expression to contrast the Rare Cask. Each expression is housed in striking decanter, with the decanters getting more and more preciously beautiful as you go up the tier. The angled decanters in the higher tiers are specially made to reflect the “M” in Macallan. The exquisite details of every decanter is as amazing as the liquid itself.

    The rarity of the series can be sum up in an auction house in Hong Kong, where the Macallan M was sold at a whooping USD$628,205!! That’s what we called opulent!

    In Singapore, the 1824 Master Series was introduced through various mediums, including an exclusive launch of the Rare Cask where the public was invited to a tasting session. The whole series were introduced again during the Edition No. 1 launch in Singapore, where The Macallan hosted “Toast the Macallan” event at the Black Swan in 2016. In that event, both the 1824 Master Series and the Edition No. 1 were given equal priority. It was also during this event that they introduced the Rare Cask Black to the general public.

    The exclusivity of the 1824 Master Series makes it hard for normal whisky lovers to have a taste of the exquisite whiskies housed in those precious decanter but getting to know the different expressions is in itself, a great experience.

    Here’s a video that was posted on Vimeo by Macallan’s parent company, Edrington. Enjoy!

    We will speak more of the individual bottles in our next few posts, so stay tuned!

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