Hakushu 12 Year, Revisited

 

I had an unfortunate run-in with Hakushu early in my drinking journey, with either a bad bottle or an unprepared/inexperienced palate. It might have been the bottle I disliked the most and was most disappointed in during the first 5-ish years I got seriously into whisky. I recently encountered another bottle and decided to engage with Hakushu again. 

Highland Park 12 Year (Pre-Viking)

 

Many thanks to Rob Martin for this blast from the past: a sample of Highland Park 12 Year from before their infamous 2017 "Viking" makeover. 

Here is a list of the current offerings from post-Viking Highland Park:

Highland Park 12 Year (Classic Cask)

 A rare review with no picture of the bottle! I cannot source a single picture of this one - it's a Classic Cask independent bottling of Highland Park 12 year; here is the whiskybase page for it. It's no secret that I love Highland Park's independently bottled expressions. I've reviewed quite a number here on the blog, and I am very happy to add this one to the list. Thanks - many thanks - to Rob Martin for the sample. 

Ian MacLeod's Island Single Malt

 

A surprise sampling from friend Rob Martin, this is an unnamed/anonymous islands distillery released by Ian MacLeod, the company that owns distilleries like Tamdhu, Glengoyne, Rosebank, and labels like Smokehead, As We Get It, and Isle of Skye, along with many other things. A little bird informed Mr. Martin that this was Highland Park, young and fiesty, and released at a nice $40 price point. If had been given this totally blind, and told only that it was an island-based distillery, I would have guessed Ledaig or Talisker, easily. 

Glen Grant 17 Year (Signatory)

 

It's been some time since I explored the Signatory range of independently bottled scotch. Too long, in fact. Signatory provided me with my first, valuable looks at Mortlach, Linkwood, Dailuaine, and Clynelish. This bottle is of Glen Grant - a Speyside distillery from whom I have liked everything I've tried thus far. I have a Scotch Malt Whisky Society Glen Grant bottle in my cabinet as well, "Harvest Hayride Happiness," and it's astoundingly fragrant, fruity, and delicious. This bottle, at 43% ABV, is much less potent, but I suspect will be a very easy sipper and full of flavor. No colorating, no chill filtration!

Glenfarclas 21 Year (Second Take)

 

It's been almost exactly a year since I last had this magnificent 21-year scotch from Glenfarclas. Quite possibly the best-priced 20+ year scotch on the market (I obtained it for $135, less than even the 17 year goes for!), I remember this being full of fascinating, balanced flavors. 100% aged in Oloroso sherry casks - the standard Glenfarclas house style - and bottled at 43% ABV, this was one of the highlights of my 2021 drinking year. 

Glenmorangie 18 Year

 

I have always respected Glenmorangie as the best of the Glen-centered core expressions of Scotch - for years, their 10 Year was the best available single malt in the $30-35 range. Well-balanced, smooth, endlessly crushable, it had a little of everything and always seemed richer and more refined than the competition (Glenfiddich, Glenlivet especially). 

I decided today to try one of their "prestige" expressions for the first time ever - the 18 year, which Glenmorangie calls "Extremely Rare." Unsure if that is actually factually true, or marketing spin. 

Wild Turkey Longbranch 8 Year Bourbon

 

One thing I've noticed about smaller scotch blogs (like this one) is that reviewers inevitably end up reviewing non-scotch alcohol every so often. This is due both to (1) scotch fatigue and (2) the high price of reviewing many bottles of scotch per annum. 

So in addition to my rum excursions, I am also going to occasionally review bourbon, gin, etc. The focus will still be primarily on scotch, but to keep everyone entertained I'll toss in a few like this every now and again.

Naked Grouse Blend

 

An interesting offering from the Grouse family of blended whiskies, this one has been aged in first-fill sherry butts, and consists heavily of (apparently) Macallan and Glenturret and Highland Park. Color me intrigued! Thanks to Rob Martin for the sample! Bottled at 43% ABV, let's just drink the damned stuff!

Bowmore 11 Year (Classic Cask)

 

This is the third bottling I've had from independent bottler The Classic Cask - the first two were an Aberlour and a Craigellachie, both of which were atypical examples of their kind. Therefore I'm super curious about this Bowmore! I recently had a fantastic (if unusual) 17 year Bowmore, and am excited to see what this single cask 11 year bottling brings to the table. 

Benriach "The Original Ten" 10 Year

 

Having reviewed - and loving - the Benriach Smoky Twelve, along with a wonderful independent bottling from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, I am super curious about this ten-year expression, which features virgin oak intervention along with the ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks.

Aberlour 12 Year (Classic Cask)

I quite like Aberlour's core flavors (orchards and orchards of rich fruit), and I absolutely love their monster sherry bomb Abunadh. But I've never had an independent bottling of their spirit until now (thanks to Rob Martin for the bottle). This comes from bottler The Classic Cask, and is aged 12 years in an "oak hogshead." Unsure if this implies ex-bourbon or ex-sherry. Bottled at 43%. 

Edradour 10 Year (2020 botting, 43%)

 

I haven't had an original bottling of Edradour in a long time, which seems impossible, but it's true. My old review is from 7 years ago, and is bottled at a thinner 40% (boo). This bottle of 10 Year (and thanks to Rob Martin for the sample) is 43%, a little more robust. Ex-sherry and ex-bourbon casks. Let's take another look.

Teacher's Highland Cream (2016 bottling)

 

Here is a blend I know very little about - Teacher's Highland Cream, made with an usually high amount of single malt - predominantly my beloved Ardmore, owned by the same parent company. Bottled at 43%, and purportedly 45% single malt and 55% grain whisky. Let's explore:

Lost Distillery Company: Lossit (Second Look)

 

The Lost Distillery Company's goal is to blend whiskies together with the goal of approximating a distillery which no longer exists - apparently they do extensive research to facilitate their blending. With this bottle they are trying to "recreate" the old Lossit distillery on Islay. See my EARLIER REVIEW. I recently stumbled across a second bottle of this stuff (they are relatively uncommon in my area), and wanted to see how it held up to my memory. Let's see what the Lossit spirit might have tasted like, at 43% ABV...

Glenfarclas 21 Year

 

Continuing my "old Glenfarclas" series of reviews, which left off with the 17 year, here comes the next logical extension of the series ... the 21 year. Bottled at 43%, natural colored, chill-filtered, and matured in ex-Oloroso sherry casks. How is it? Let's find out. 

Glenfarclas 17 Year

 

I'm a big fan of Glenfarclas 105, the cask strength no-age-statement version of their whisky, which is matured in oloroso sherry casks. This results in an unusually rich and quirky spirit, almost funky, and one that I took a shine to. Lately I've been diving deep in the world of independent bottles, so I thought I would take a breath of air from the world of official bottlings, and explore Glenfarclas a bit more.

Tomatin 12 Year (New Bottling)

 

This new edition of Tomatin (post-2015) is now a blend of bourbon and sherry casks, bottled at 43% ABV, and presumably colored and chill-filtered. 

Tomatin 12 Year (Old Bottling)

 

In 2015, Tomatin rebranded itself - but this bottle of 12 year Highland scotch, matured in sherry casks, comes from before the change. 43% ABV, chill-filtered, and colored. 

Macallan 12 Year Double Cask

 

Double Cask is the Macallan that is aged twelve years in seasoned sherry casks and then married to scotch that has been aged in European oak casks. The result is bottled at 43% and placed in a truly lovely bottle. How does it taste? Let's find out: