Hello everyone, it’s been a very long time since my last review (5 and a half years!), but I am back with a special review which showcases a recent expression that I had the privilege of encountering last month.
As most of you would know, Highland Park produces whisky for single malt releases within its range, but the distillery also tends to produce malt for blending purposes.
From a historical context, this malt has been used in blends such as The Famous Grouse, Curry Sark, and Old Perth (which is a blended malt these days), but production has been increasingly used for release as a single malt due to the demand for Highland Park having surged over the years.
The distillery has coined the name “Whitlaw” for its blending spec malts, and this is the focus of today’s review.
This review focuses on an expression of Whitlaw which has been bottled by a relatively new Singaporean independent bottler under the “Rare and Refine” range, and this is a Whitlaw which has been matured in a bourbon hogshead for 8 years before being bottled at a cask strength ABV of 59.5% and is sold at their outlet, Curo Reserve.
Whitlaw 2018 8YO (59.5% ABV, Rare and Refine range)
Colour: Straw
Nose: Oily, specifically lamp oil, cerealic and petrolic, Phenolic hints but quite balanced, barley sugar, camphor, white pepper, sea salt and hints of peat, slight white wine hints. Butterscotch, Financier biscuits, mentholated. (20/25)
Palate: Pear juice, white wine, cinnamon, white pepper, white grapes, honey and caramel, cerealic hints, oily, butterscotch and brioche, aloe vera, hints of peat but on the sweeter side. More biscuity with time. (22/25)
Finish: Medium finish, warming, focused on the oily, biscuity, wood spice, and honeyed notes. wood spices dominate at the end. (21/25)
Balance: A dram of two halves, with the nose not providing much by way of complexity, but the palate providing hidden depths that are worth exploring. Whitlaw in its natural state is something worth pursuing, and this one is delicious as is. (21/25)
Overall Rating: 84/100
This is a dram that will polarise opinions, and it definitely treads its own path when it comes to providing a counterpoint to the traditional Highland Park DNA.
Nevertheless, this divergence is what makes it special, and it will also be what makes me go back for more.
Special thanks to Malcolm and Matthew from Curo Reserve for providing me with the opportunity to sample and review this whisky, and for graciously providing me with a bottle for review purposes.
Having been a fan of the Whitlaw spec, I would highly recommend that you seek this and associated expressions out, as it would provide you with a rather interesting olfactory experience.
Until the next time,
Slainte!
