Distilled in 2006, this single malt from Highland Park spent the next 17 years maturing in a single Pedro Ximénez sherry barrique. Barrique. Sounds nice and fancy doesn't it? This is the size of cask commonly used for Cognac, and usually holds around 300 litres – smaller than your traditional sherry butt that'll weigh in at roughly 500 litres. Smaller casks are a splendid thing when it comes to ageing whisky, as they enable greater interaction between the spirit and the wood during maturation, so in this case, plenty of PX sweetness and complexity. The fancy barrique was cracked open by us here at Master of Malt in 2023, releasing a total of 371 bottles for our exclusive Single Cask collection.
Tasting Note by The Chaps at Master of Malt (link)
Nose Thick, sweet honeycomb, stroopwafels, a touch of fiery nutmeg, and cracked peppercorns open up to a tangle of creamy grist and charred oak, with prunes, toffee, and sultanas coming through in time.
Palate Hearty helpings of runny caramel and chewy toffee lead to set spiced honey with cinnamon, nutmeg, and toasted vanilla. There's a superb balance of sticky sweetness and peppery spice, with juicy sherried fruit and delicate waves of charred herbs.
Finish Some peppery peat arrives for the finish, joined by fiery root ginger, but kept in check by creamy toffee, grilled pineapple, buttery oak, candied pecans, and spiced tea loaf.
