Black Friday is upon us again, and after last year’s phenomenal success of the BF bottling released by TWE (which was a 16 year old from an undisclosed ‘family owned’ distillery – read ‘Farclas), which sold in under 20 minutes, they have done it again! this time, there were more bottles (1400) and they have limited it to two bottles per customer. I was quite sure it would not last an hour, but it certainly did! one hour and 6 minutes from 1400 to 0…. and SOLD OUT.
As opposed to last year, this one’s an 18 year old malt from the Orkney Isles (and not a Scapa) which leaves no room for doubt: 18 year old CS Highland Park, for under 70 quid… not a bad deal is it? I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek and try that before the sale began, and for those who have bought a bottle and wondering how it is, or for those who did not and are wondering what they missed, some tasting notes are due, right?
Orkney Islands 18 yo ‘Black Friday‘ 2018 ed. ,54,6%, TWE (Sold Out originally 69.95)
Nose: A very nice entry with some coastal influence, sea-spray, and nice sweetness as well , the trademark HP heather honey is certainly here, as well as some smoke, soot and a lemony touch, that works well with the polished wooden furniture note. Quite autumnal as well with a leafy edge, even chalky / dusty at times. a certainly rather complex nose!
Palate: Big and lovely, yet classic. quite dusty at first, waxy as well, quite a lot of smoke / soot, as if licking the inside of a chimney, there’s also sweeter notes of creamy barley, ripe orange, and more wood spices / cocoa that works well with the smoke and hints of ash, more dusty notes, and a hint of pepper / nutmeg, then more wood smoke and earth.
Finish: A hint of salt, more soot, earth and leaves.
conclusion:
A lovely autumnal highland park, complex, smoky, and lovely with the heather honey, which is undeniably Highland Park. At this price, it’s a no-brainer. Hopefully you got a bottle or two early Friday morning. and if not, you can expect it to appear on auctions soon, and not a lot above the initial price, as it’s not an official HP. TWE have nailed it again, with an affordable and great VFM treat for Black Friday.
Score: 89/100