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Highland Park Cask Strength Release no. 2 Single Malt
It smells of figs and sherry sweetness but where's the smoke and peat? It doesn't exist! I always though HP was supposed to be both smokey and peaty? Once the right amount of water is found (lots! since this has 63,9%) this is actually a very nice whisky. Little smoke or peat to be seen but there is great sherry sweetness. Maybe a slight hint of smoke on the finish? I dunno. It's more a sherry bomb intensity than the smokey island style I wanted. But once I shift my expectations and drink it on a day when I don't want an Islay-clone but want a sherry bomb it's actually really nice! But it does need serious amounts of water added. 63,9% abv is just insane.
Aberlour A'Bunadh Cask Strength Release Batch 73
61,2% abv so also requires a lot of water to be enjoyable. But having just called the HP a sherry bomb, I now see my mistake. THIS is a sherry bomb. Wonderful toffee, chocolate, x-mas spice sweetness. Incredible texture that just coats your mouth in this thick, sweet, treacly intensity. I don't really understand why I like this so much. I'm normally a fan of smoke and dryness with whisky or acidity and neutrality with wine. But here's the opposite of what I normally like and it's amazing! Now whisky geeks apparently are all saying that these recent releases of A'Bunadh are trash and pre-50 were good so don't trust me. I'm very much in the beginning of my whisky journey anyway so never trust a thing I write here. It's all just n00b stuff.
It smells of figs and sherry sweetness but where's the smoke and peat? It doesn't exist! I always though HP was supposed to be both smokey and peaty? Once the right amount of water is found (lots! since this has 63,9%) this is actually a very nice whisky. Little smoke or peat to be seen but there is great sherry sweetness. Maybe a slight hint of smoke on the finish? I dunno. It's more a sherry bomb intensity than the smokey island style I wanted. But once I shift my expectations and drink it on a day when I don't want an Islay-clone but want a sherry bomb it's actually really nice! But it does need serious amounts of water added. 63,9% abv is just insane.
Aberlour A'Bunadh Cask Strength Release Batch 73
61,2% abv so also requires a lot of water to be enjoyable. But having just called the HP a sherry bomb, I now see my mistake. THIS is a sherry bomb. Wonderful toffee, chocolate, x-mas spice sweetness. Incredible texture that just coats your mouth in this thick, sweet, treacly intensity. I don't really understand why I like this so much. I'm normally a fan of smoke and dryness with whisky or acidity and neutrality with wine. But here's the opposite of what I normally like and it's amazing! Now whisky geeks apparently are all saying that these recent releases of A'Bunadh are trash and pre-50 were good so don't trust me. I'm very much in the beginning of my whisky journey anyway so never trust a thing I write here. It's all just n00b stuff.