|
20th September 2018 |
Review of the
new Highland Park Spirit Of The Bear
travel retail exclusive whisky.
 The
Highland Park Spirit Of The Bear is the
entry level whisky in the new travel
retail line-up and is the only whisky in the
line-up without an age statement.
Primarily matured in sherry seasoned
American Oak casks and bottled at 40%
ABV with no added colouring, the Spirit
Of The Bear is described by the
distillery as having an intense aromatic
smokiness which is driven by their
unique, woodless Orcadian peat, cut by
hand from Hobbister Moor, only
seven miles from the High Park
distillery on the Orkney Islands.
Priced around £44, it is presented in a
1 litre bottle and packaging which has
been inspired by the distillery's
Orcadian roots and Viking ancestry,
being named for The Bear which held
iconic status for the Vikings.
William
Morrison's Tasting Notes:
Nose:
Light sweet ashy smoke infused with a
little sour cooking apple and raisin. A
nice touch of vanilla, oak and a little
sea salt, a little pineapple in the
background.
Taste:
Light bodied and a little spirity. A
gentle mix of pineapple, pear and
grapefruit leads, a little orange
citrus, honey, vanilla and some ginger
spice makes a late appearance.
Finish:
Medium length, the very mild ashy smoke
fades leaving a little liquorice and oak
spice which bitters out.
Comment:
Being a regular traveller myself these
travel retail exclusive releases are
always of particular interest to me. I
was sent samples of this whisky from
Highland Park when they launched it over
the summer and to be honest I was a little
unsure of what to score this one after
getting through a 100ml sample,
sometimes I like to spend some time with
a whisky before scoring it and
influencing anyone on whether or not to
part with their hard earned cash. Anyway
I picked up a 1 litre bottle for myself
and have spent more than a few evenings
getting to know it and yes my opinion of
it has gone up slightly.
It does appear a little young from nose
to finish but still, and most
importantly, an enjoyable enough
dramming whisky from nose to finish.
Value for money is a difficult subject
to comment on these days when you
consider the quality of whisky you would
have got for £44 from travel retail just
two or three years ago. So in comparison
to what you can pick up in travel retail
today for £44 and considering it is a 1
litre bottle which is becoming a rarity
in travel retail these days I would say
it is probably priced right when you
consider that most airport shops run
offers such as "Any 2 Whiskies For £XX",
and I am sure you will find the Highland
Park Spirit Of The Bear as part of an
offer at some point and that is when to
pick up a bottle.
Likely a mix of whisky up to around 8
year old, if they had left this maturing
for a few more years I suspect this
could have been approaching a score of
90/100. So "Spirit" of the Bear is
probably an apt name for this slightly
young spirity dram, but look out for
offers at the airport if you are looking
for an easy drinking every day dramming
whisky.
SMW Score
80/100
Look out for the new Highland
Park Travel Retail exclusive collection
next time you are passing through the
airport but if you have no plans to
travel in the near future you will find
the current Highland Park domestic core
range as well as some limited edition
releases available from specialist online whisky
retailers such as
The Whisky Exchange,
The Whisky Shop and
Master of Malt
|
Highland Park Travel Retail
Collection Whisky
Reviews
|
|
Select a whisky to view tasting
notes:
|
Where To Buy Whisky Online
|
|
Select a country for a list
of specialist Whisky shops who delivers
to you::
|
Whisky Focus
<<<Back to
Whisky Focus for more Whisky News
|
Top
Of Page |
|
|
Online Whisky Shops |
|
|
|
New Whiskies |
| Check out the latest
new whisky releases. |
 |
| Worldwide delivery
available.
More Info |
|
|
|
Whisky Newsletter |
 Keep up to date with
the latest whisky news and special
offers
More Info |
|
