Berry Bro’s & Rudd Orkney Malt
AKA Highland Park
1999-2018
Cask 39 – ex-Sherry
18 years old
53.5% (cask strength)
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Berry Bro’s & Rudd is a VERY old wine merchant from the UK. It’s actually the oldest one still with their original shop (1698)…and it was founded by a woman. Since its birth, they have grow to extend their activities in several country and added a wine school and a fine wine and dinning restaurant in London.
What they do is kind of awesome to be honest. They deal wine, as all wine merchants do, but they also bottle their own spirits casks. As with a lot of independent bottlers, their prices are lower than the original brand they buy from.
Like this one. Exclusively bottled for Kensington Wine Market in Calgary, this is basically an 18 year old Highland Park, cask strength, for under 130$ CAN. It’s hard to beat, and kinda put to shame all HP’s single cask (which I love btw) !
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Color : honey.
Nose : slightly peaty and lemony. Candied oranges and marmalade are added. But we always come back with a touch of persistent citrus!
Palate : texture…WOW !!!! I can summarize the mouth in one dish: fresh oranges dipped in a dark chocolate fondue !
Peat is present, but a little less than on the nose, and in the background. Like to remember that it’s Highland Park after all. It feels all the same, freshly returned from Hobbister Moore, and burning in a fire.
Finish : quite dry and short, but with a lingering aftertaste of dark chocolate … and peat!
Comments : ok, I know it’s difficult for me to be impartial with HP, but I can be. The Magnus is ok, as is the 10 year old. Some tax-free editions are either passable or downright very easy to ignore.
But HP is also capable of the best (hello 15 and 18 years, the Orcadian Vintages, several single cask etc.) ! And of course we have right here to an EXCELLENT choice of barrels from the team of Berry Bro’s & Rudd ! Hard to imagine something better for less than 130$CAN !!!!
If it could, I’d say that I am satisfied at about 110% of this unique and great bottle !