Highland Single Malt, 8 Years, 40% ABV, $47

The nose is light with notes of raw honey, butterscotch, pear and burnt sugar. The taste is tart, sweet and lightly peppered. Lots of vanilla, apple, salted caramel and ginger lead in and settle into a slightly bitter citrus vanilla finish. The pepper is soft throughout, so the fading is much less notable. When its all said and done, all that remains is a mild oaky bitterness. The entry is very bold as compared to the nose and the finish. Still, this is a decent dram.

MacLeod’s bottling notes:

An undemanding 8 year old single malt from an unnamed Highland distillery, this was bottled by Ian Macleod.