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SMWS 4.244 Welcoming an Old Sea Dog. 13 year old single cask, cask strength SMWS bottling from Highland Park Distillery. Orkney Islands, Scotland. ABV: 57.6%. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $185 (bottle).
When you’ve been on a fitness retreat for two weeks and you’re thirstier than a pirate at an open bar, you’d better make your first whisky an absolute banger. A cask strength, single cask Highland Park offering from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) ought to do it!
Colour: Lustrous pale gold.
Nose: Like tearing open a tin of smoked mussels. Hessian sacks soaked in seawater and left out on the jetty in the rain.
Palate: Salty edamame beans, citrus salty crystals. I’m not even sure that’s a thing, but it’s the best way to describe it. The whisky just crackles and pops in your mouth with a salty lemon tang.
Finish: A long salty woody tang. Like sucking for just a second too long on some wooden chopsticks after you’ve had a takeaway Chinese meal with just a little too much MSG. You just can’t help but want to come back and enjoy every last ounce of that rich salty zest.
Comments: I’ve enjoyed this one so much I had to refill the glass three times to complete the tasting. Enough said. Another cracking dram from the SMWS!