Highland Park 14 Loyalty of the Wolf (42.3%)

The second expression in the new travel retail series it the Highland Park Loyalty of the Wolf 14 year old.

The whisky is matured in American oak casks, part of the recipe comes from seasoned in sherry and some from ex bourbon casks. The bottle is a one liter bottle, as is the standard for the travel retail expressions, and at around €65 per bottle, the price point is pretty attractive.

Here’s Highland Park’s Global Ambassador Martin Markvardsen’s take on the Loyalty of the Wolf:

Our question is, of course, is the whisky as attractive as its price?

 

Photo Credit: scotchmaltwhisky.co.uk

Highland Park Loyalty of the Wolf, 14 Years Old (42.3% ABV, NC)

Appearance: Gold, slow legs off a pretty sturdy necklace.

Nose: Sherry is more pronounced, with cinnamon covered vanilla custard, yellow raisins and some prunes, pineapple juice, some mineral notes. With time, the wood spices get some saltiness.

Palate: Watery and somewhat of a letdown after the nose. Peat, vanilla, pepper and some heather honey, but there’s a somewhat sour note with it. There’s a hint of butterscotch there too.

Linger: The linger is lovely, with peat and a bit of oak bitter notes and pepper. It leaves a lot of smoke in the mouth with that pepper. It’s warming.

Conclusion

There’s a little more complexity here than in the Spirit of the Bear, but this is, as advertised, a travel retail expression, and still caters to a pretty wide common denominator.

Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily if you’re looking for a decent daily dram.

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