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Showing posts with label Scotch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Scotch. Show all posts

Friday, September 19, 2008

$2,000 Scotch

For, you know, the guy who has everything:
New York, September 16, 2008 – Orkney-based Distiller of the Year, Highland Park, today releases a new, permanent flagship 40 Year Old expression in the U.S., adding even more allure and acclaim to the distillery’s highly awarded array of single malt Scotch whisky expressions.

Matured primarily in previously-filled sherry oak casks, Highland Park 40 Year Old is a harmonious masterpiece. The extended time that the spirit matures in previously-filled sherry oak casks is evidenced by the classically composed and perfectly balanced Scotch whisky Highland Park 40 Year Old. The delicate coppery paleness of the whisky is entirely natural -- true to all bottlings of Highland Park -- and in this case also a result of the judicious use of refill casks.
That's (not surprisingly) from a press release. The website has more:
If first fill casks had been used for such a lengthy maturation, the sweetness (an oak-derived additive quality from the cask) would have been too strident. Highland Park 40 year old has therefore been largely matured in refill casks, that is to say casks that have previously been used to mature whisky. Every time a cask is used, its ability to impart an influence on the spirit is diminished. When laying down a whisky for extended maturation, such as this, it is important that the cask doesn't dominate the spirit. The long-term nature of the maturation of Highland Park 40 year old allows time for the perfect balance to be achieved.
The only problem I can see: "Highland Park 40 Year Old is available in key markets with a suggested retail price of $2,000." Nevertheless, I let Sally, the woman who sent the press release, know that I'd be willing to give it a shot if she sent me a sample bottle.

Still waiting on a reply.

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Highland Stillhouse

Over the weekend I had a chance to make it beyond the comfy inner eastside where I spend most of my time. A friend invited me to try the Highland Stillhouse, way down the river in Oregon City. It's a nondescript building overlooking busy McLaughlin (and beyond it, the industry-lined Willamette River), not particularly promising as you approach it by car. But inside, it's a classic Scottish pub, cozy, dark, and wood-paneled.

For beer fans, there's plenty to delight. The pints are honest, and the taps flow with well-selected ales, including several that are pumped from casks. Over the weekend, they had Ninkasi Otis and Full Sail Slipknot on cask (among others). That slipknot is a thing to behold. The website has a representive, but out-of-date list of offerings.

But the real reason to go to the Stillhouse is whisky (which is just concentrated beer, right?). In addition to Irish, American, and Canadian offerings, they have a massive selection of Scotch. I count 59 brands (most with multiple vintages and treatments), including 24 Speyside malts, 10 Highland, six Lowland, three Campbeltown, eight from Islands and the West Highlands, and eight Islays. For Islay fans, as I am, that is a complete list.

The big winner: Ardbeg 10 (their basic malt, and one of the Islays). Better men than I have said it smells of "tar-covered rope" and is "filled with fragrant peat reek," and that its flavor is "medicinal," "seaweedy," and "salty." In other words, magnificent. (I'd add that it was very hot, with a volatile quality that raised black-pepper notes through the palate and into the nose almost involuntarily.)

It's a mellow place and a welcome site for folks living South of town. And worth a drive for those of you who love single malts.

PHOTO: PDX Pixels [link]