Highland Park 1977 Bicentenary Vintage Reserve

Tasted in Whisky Magazine Issue 5 by Michael Jackson and Jim Murray.

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Tasting Notes

Michael Jackson Nose Polished oak. Leather upholstery. Palate Minty. Creamy. Freshly-peeled satsumas. Orange peels. Dark cherry flavours. Very bitter black chocolate. Astonishing complexity and length. Long development of drier flavours. Finish Violets. Lingering flowery, scented flavours. Comment After that voluptuous dinner.

Jim Murray Nose A massive aroma with a salty tang that reveals its coastal location. The heather-honey and soft smoke point to the distillery. Glorious. Palate The peatiness is more noticeable here, but the early vanilla and deliciously sweet malt and honey are still there. The saltiness also sticks around and weaves around the spice. Finish Lots of cocoa and even a fleeting hint of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee: an amazing display that is long and satisfying. Rugged peat adds to the complexity, as does a sweet richness that clings to the roof of the mouth. Comment A rugged expression that lacks the usual complexity but makes up for it with depth and length. A beauty.