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.
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.
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