6/22/13    Highland Park Distillery Tour

            Highland Park puts around 40% of their whisky into blends with the other 60% as single malts, hopefully not drunk on ice or with ginger ale or ……..

            Anyway the tour itself was unremarkable, except for the fact that we got to turn some of the barley on the malting floor.  The coolest part about the distillery is that it literally straddles the roadway. The whole place is in what we would call a neighborhood. There are houses all around, the Lynnfield shares a property line and it is the edge of town. We liked the fact that we were able to walk there.

Our flight of 7 whiskies after the tour:

#1 12 year         40% ABV             80% Spanish oak aged/20% American oak, once filled sherry

            -smelled floral with a tinge of smoke

            -tasted slightly smoky/peppery

            -could taste/feel peat coating my mouth

            -with water the smokiness went away

            -tastes very slightly sweet at first

            -trails smoke lightly

#2   15year        40% ABV        60% American oak

            -smelled dessert sweet with a tinge of fruit

            -tasted almost sweet with oak in the middle

            -trailed smoke

            -with water much lighter and sweet peat

            -trailed peppery on the tongue

#3  18year     43% ABV     45% First fill sherry casks

            -smelled sweet cinnamon bun

            -tasted slightly wood with dessert taste floating up

            -trailed for a long time peppery that went from sides to front of tongue

            -with water smelled very sweet with slight floral

            -tasted sweet like a scone with a peppery finish

#4   21year    47.5% ABV         50% Sherry casks      (mixture of 30, 40 and 21 year)

            -smelled sweet with no smokiness

            -tasted strong alcohol with all around tinge of sweetness

            -with water opened  a sweet, doughy flavor surrounded by slightly pepper

            -tasted a tinge of wood

            -no trailing taste

#5  25year   45.7% ABV    50% First fill sherry

            -smelled fruity wood with oak

            -tasted like peppery raisin bread trailing to a light alcohol

            -with water smelled slightly sweet – no fruit or cinnamon

            -tasted peppery sweet dough

            -trailed peppery

#6  30year   48.1% ABV  

            -smelled sweet citrusy

            -tasted dry, sweet wine with a touch of shortbread cookie

            -trailed pepper smoothly

            -with water smelled cinnamon and vanilla

            -tasted light, wet, peppery

            -trailed wood

#7   40year   48.3% ABV

            -smelled red wine with wood

            -tasted nothing at first then sweet in back of tongue and rose to the roof of my mouth

            -with water smelled surprisingly little – just slightly sweet oak

            -tasted sweet peaty, very wet

            -very little pepper!

            At some point Todd asked our guide about some of the special releases, namely the Thor and the Loki. Fortunately for us he just so happened to have open bottles and let us taste.

Highland Park Loki  15 year   48.7%  ABV

            -smelled of peat with sweetness like a burnt biscuit

            -tasted strong peat

            -with water smelled sweet peaty

            -tasted slightly chalky

            -trailed wood

            Lots of fluff, it seems, for not a lot of flavor. The containers for the bottles are beautiful though. 

Scotland Trip 2013

Todd, Donna, Myra, Aly and I had an incredible time in Scotland this summer. We stopped at a few distilleries, a brewery, some pottery shops, Neolithic ruins and a life-sized chess board. Luck and persistence allowed for a tour of Scapa. (Thanks Todd and Jill!!)

It seems that “new make” is the up and coming home-run seller for the distilleries. Maybe the popularity of American “moonshine” has something to do with it. We are not sure. But straight-out-of-the-still, with just a bit of water to reduce ABV, was on the menu for a few tastings. I think this was frowned upon (like punch in the forehead type) just a few years ago. Whatever the case, we tasted a few.

This is the evening before Orkney at the Anderson.                                   6/21/13

Swannay Brewery     Scapa Special Pale Ale     4.4%        Orkney Brewery

-tasted slightly hoppy

-not sweet or sour

This beer was easy to drink. At room temperature it was almost like drinking unsweetened tea except for the buzz.

We had the added entertainment of watching Todd nod off at the dinner table. He had driven all day while we were in various states of consciousness rolling around in the van. Thanks Todd! Oh yea for driving too. 





6/22/13 Lynnfield Hotel and Restaurant

            We tasted a little before our Highland Park tour. The owner of the Lynnfield had quite a collection of whiskies. He also had a gallon container of new make.

Scapa 25 Year                         54% ABV

-smells delicately sweet with a touch of dessert

-after a few minutes smells like bread pudding

-tasted strong peppery with a sweetness

-turns oaky with almost a sweet, minty trailing taste

-with water even more peppery

-sweetness went away gradually as I added water

-smells less and less sweet with alcohol

-peppery taste

Adding more than 8 or 9 drops of water ruins this whisky! It is a high ABV that is sweeter without water.