Highland Park- Twisted Tattoo 16 year old46.7% ABV
Highland Park’s new edition celebrating the viking tattoos with bottle design by celebrated tattoo artist Colin Dale. It celebrates the legend of the Midgard Serpent which twisted around the world and finally bit it’s own tail
It is Highland park’s first venture featuring both ex Rioja and Bourbon casks.
The colour is a lovely golden yellow,
Nose: Eucalyptus blossom hint of violet, chocolate, syrup, marmalade, plumbs orange pear. A touch of acetone , very complex
Palate: The bite in the tail hits home peppery ginger which did not appear on the nose then caramel, vanilla, pears and chocolate with just the merest hint of heathery peat
Finish: plumbs and custard with just a wisp of smoke right at the end.
I get the twisted reference interesting and enjoyable the faint Rioja mellows the bourbon notes and extends the finish.
With water
Nose: is intensified and the aromas more distinct
On the Palate: Very smooth, the spice becomes long and lingering lots more fruit sour hint in the background dark chocolate and syrup to the fore . The longer I wait the more complexity. It goes on forever.
My conclusion is that, it is first and foremost a light very elegant whisky. It really is like two or three twisted cords of flavour – sweet, spicy and fruity with a slightly sour backdrop. I enjoyed this whisky a lot. Always fresh and bright more bourbon than wine influence the high ABV sustains the flavour much more than the light body suggests it is capable of. It is a unique whisky hints of werthers originals . This is a whisky that goes right to the depth of your bodies tasting capabilities , or as the tattoo artists say, a tattoo that goes straight to your soul. Tasting was a long process delving deep into this spirits depths to find the aromas and flavours.
