Highland Park Odin 16 Year Old (The Valhalla Collection) (70cl, 55.8%)

Tasting Note

Smell: A rich, creamy, full, powerful, sweet and complex whisky with aroma’s of herbal sherry, sulfury, dried fruits (apricot, raisins, dates, figs, prunes), macerated cherries, orange peels, forest berry jam, dark forest honey, a hint of balsamic, molasses, antique polish, beeswax, old books, leather, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, concentrated sweet ginger, toffee, vanilla, lightly salted caramel, stout, overripe banana, roasted nuts?, spicy oak, cereals, barley sugar, licorice root, coal, hidden smoke and sweet tobacco.

Taste: A powerful, strong, pungent, spicy and complex whisky with aroma’s of spicy ginger, pepper, big oak (must have been very active casks), bitter tannins, dark chocolate, dried fruits (dates, prunes, raisins, figs), candied orange peel, earthy peat, soft smoke (like smoldering oak), red berries, old books, furniture polish, wax, marmalade, muscovado sugar, gingerbread, earthy tones, mocha, hint of salt, tangy tobacco, cigars, a soft savory tone (maybe like Marmite), walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, caraway seeds, a hint of cumin, rum and more spicy oak.

Finish: A long, spicy and slightly drying finish with aroma’s of pepper, brine, orange peels, molasses, gentle smoke, dried cherries, sweet tobacco, bitter chocolate, spicy oak, lingering sherry, plums, dark honey and at the end an ashy dryness.