Highland Single Malt, 15 Years,
46% ABV, $50

This is #5, so I’m still 6 days behind schedule after this one. I’ll have to go for 2 tonight. First up is a Signatory bottling from a now defunct highland distillery.

Firstly, I’ll note the pale coloring. Although it pours a pale yellow-gold, the nose is moderately bold. There’s lots of honey and straw with notes of ginger, overripe pear, mild tobacco and sea salt.

The taste is fruity and delicate at first, giving way to a gradual build of mildly peppery spice and an equally mild woodiness. The fruits linger all the way through to the finish and fade slowly. Initially, there’s lemon drop, orange, pear, vanilla and apple, then a gradually increasing amount of ginger that is joined by black and white pepper. The peppers are mild, while the ginger is more prominent. The mild sweetness up front is contrasted with a dry, woody and mildly bitter finish. The lingering and soft fruitiness provides good balance as the wood fades. After a while, I notice a bit of brine that is quite complementary along with a really smooth honey flavor… not like raw honey, but more like a creamed honey that goes well with the candy, fruit and spice

This is a very nice whisky and one I might have to pick up (thanks for the sample, Mark E.). Some refer to this as a nice Summer whisky and I get that. I’ll add that it’s quite nice on this cold winter night as well.