Highland Park - Dark Origins - 46,8%
Photo taken somewhere near Stuttgart
After the Ardbeg Dark Cove, this is the second "dark" candidate on this weeks agenda. Not to be confused with "The Dark", which is also served by the guys from Orkney Island.
Nose
Vanilla, butterscotch and stewed apricots and pears, almost marmelade, at the first breath. Second, the dark fruits of the sherry make their way to the top, with raisins and hazelnuts.
The typical HP smokiness is deeply integrated and appears in form of new leather.
Palate
Bitter sweet and very spicy beginning. Crushed hazelnuts with smoked apples and pears. At this point, the sherry influence is pretty dominant. With all those spices, it is highly propable that they used european oak for the maturation.
Finish
Medium long, with a pleasant, wooden astringency. It all finishes with this lovely, always present hazelnut note.
Rating
A really solid HP, especially on the palate. It didn't speak too loud, but that's not always necessary, isn't it? I was missing the characteristic exotic fruits and the smoked honey, which are actually distinctive for the Highland Park Range. I guess the sherry was a notch too dominant here.
