A Highland Distillery 16 Year Old 2005 (First Cask, Glenmorangie)

Nose: Terry's Chocolate Orange, with cherries and berries. Palate: Oranges, chocolate, Christmas cake, sherry, dates, raisins, sultanas, and figs. Finish: A medium finish with more of the intense chocolate, orange, and dried fruit. It concludes with fig pudding. This is a dram with intense sherry influence! Surprisingly clean and crisp for such a sherry-forward spirit! Beautifully balanced, a superb dram! While this whisky is noted as simply being from "A Highland Distillery," it is almost certainly Glenmorangie. It possesses the characteristic Glenmorangie orange notes, and the drawing on the label appears to be a replica of the famous Glenmorangie distillery building! It placed first among the six drams, with 50% (8 votes) of the final vote for favorite of the evening. 88% of those present indicated they enjoyed the whisky. This was my selection for favorite of the evening (though it was very close with the Octomore 11.3). I purchased a bottle shortly after the tasting.

Nose - This whisky makes a strong impression with a robust and distinctive nose. Opening with notes of brown sugar, vanilla dates and anise before leading into the wonderful smells that remind me of a traditional bakery. Palate - Even without water, this whisky is pleasant to drink. The mouthfeel is light and buttery. Sweet, sour and spicy. Finish - The long and delicious finish reminds me of white chocolate, mint tea, gingerbread, frangipane, freshly ground coffee and salted toffee. I am glad that I got hold of a sample of this unique whisky. Despite the €100,- price tag per bottle, I am considering buying one. "Excellent": 4.25 stars | Really quite exceptional.