Highland Park Twisted Tattoo 16 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)
Orkney Islands,
SCOTLAND
$165. 00
Bottle
$1980.00 Dozen
ABV: 46.7%
Yet another notch in the ever-expanding HP portfolio. It's no wonder some commentators believe the brand and marketing teams are now leading whisky creation, rather than the distillery managers. "Twisted Tatoo" may return a degree of confidence to purists, bearing a decent age statement and solid ABV. Matured in first-fill bourbon casks seasoned with Spanish Rioja wine, it's a first for the distillery and comes with striking packaging designed by Danish tattoo artist and modern day Viking Soul, Colin Dale.
Other reviews... Strawberry jam and heather honey on the nose, with subtle woodsmoke, vanilla, and pineapple. Bold tropical fruits on the palate, with toffee, red berries, and more soft woodsmoke. The medium-length finish highlights licorice and drying oak. 46.7% Alc./Vol.
88 points - whiskyadvocate.com, reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Fall 2019) ...I don’t quite know why brands seem to feel the need to add names, not just to NAS but also to just any AS bottlings these days. But why not?... Now vorsicht, this one’s seen some red Rioja-seasoned wood, while tempranillo can be pretty pervasive. Now they don’t seem to tell whether it was red or white rioja, but I do suppose it was red indeed … Colour: light gold, not pink at all! Nose: rather cake-y, with some mead and, indeed, some strawberry jam or compote, as well as a little mint. But the treatment remained pretty moderate, we’re far from a Kardashian whisky. Phew! Mouth: red wine and spirit do clash a wee bit – they always do unless the spirit’s virtually empty, which is certainly not the case with HP – but this is acceptable. Some medicinal and chalky notes manage to swim to the surface too, which is nice. Keeps improving in your glass over (quite some) minutes. Finish: medium, perhaps a tad jumbled, but the citric side of HP is having the upper hand in the aftertaste. Comments: very okay. They should try white Rioja next time they would want to go un-fortified Spanish, or perhaps some very sharp albarino?
82 points - Serge Valentin, whiskyfun.com
88 points - whiskyadvocate.com, reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Fall 2019) ...I don’t quite know why brands seem to feel the need to add names, not just to NAS but also to just any AS bottlings these days. But why not?... Now vorsicht, this one’s seen some red Rioja-seasoned wood, while tempranillo can be pretty pervasive. Now they don’t seem to tell whether it was red or white rioja, but I do suppose it was red indeed … Colour: light gold, not pink at all! Nose: rather cake-y, with some mead and, indeed, some strawberry jam or compote, as well as a little mint. But the treatment remained pretty moderate, we’re far from a Kardashian whisky. Phew! Mouth: red wine and spirit do clash a wee bit – they always do unless the spirit’s virtually empty, which is certainly not the case with HP – but this is acceptable. Some medicinal and chalky notes manage to swim to the surface too, which is nice. Keeps improving in your glass over (quite some) minutes. Finish: medium, perhaps a tad jumbled, but the citric side of HP is having the upper hand in the aftertaste. Comments: very okay. They should try white Rioja next time they would want to go un-fortified Spanish, or perhaps some very sharp albarino?
82 points - Serge Valentin, whiskyfun.com