Highland Park 1995 SMWS 4.223

Very perfumed in the nose, slightly sour, green grapes, sour apple, haribo, apricot, a hint of vanilla. On the palate then sherry, less sour, and (yes you should write what you think) Coke? More like Big Red Chewing Gum Cola, raspberries, caramel and again the Haribo and this acid that you smell when you visit a still. So this warm mash ... which is also found in the Jack Daniels Barbecue Sauce. The finish is medium, the sweetness settles on the cheeks. Here you can feel the age. The malt does not burn, but has a pinch of pepper to offer. Oak bitterness, spiced by a potpourri of dark forest fruits as well as apricot. Overall, round and consistent. A good malt, but the haribo moderate that many SMWS have in their sherry finishes, you have to like.

SMWS tasting notes:

Twenty years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, followed by a first-fill Pedro Ximenez cask resulted in a nose of heather moor-burn and burnt sticks, with toffee, caramel and meringue sweetness, dulce sherry and toasted macaroons. The palate is a classic combination of subtle smoke and burnt leaves with rich honey, dark chocolate, sweet sherry and muscovado; dry oaky tannins and spices tingle the mouth. The reduced nose has spun sugar, vanilla and prunes, bonfire embers and enough warehouse aromas to delight a host of angels. The palate now has chocolate raisins and syrup sponge, with a blanket-stitch of smoke all around the tongue.

DRINKING TIP: Essential part of the course for trainee distillery angels