It’s a yearly custom to overview the extremely anticipated Black Friday whisky from The Whisky Change. Now the idea could also be carrying out a bit (and changing into extra widespread amongst retailers) so the yield is significantly decrease this yr. They’ve additionally neglected the showy countdown as bottles remained obtainable far past Black Friday. Anyway, it’s normally a restricted version with a pleasant profile and top quality at a really pleasant worth. The 2023 version was a middle-aged Glenkinchie.
Black Friday 2024 brings us a 16 yr previous Highland single malt from an undisclosed distillery on the Island of Jura. Okay, so the title just isn’t on the label nevertheless it’s not so undisclosed in spite of everything. Matured in an Oloroso sherry hogshead, is alleged to mix coastal minerality with an old style sherry character.
Highlands Single Malt 16 yo ‘Black Friday’ 2008 (53,8%, The Whisky Change 2024, 800 btl.)
Nostril: a really earthy and seaside fashion of peat, with coal mud, a little bit of leather-based and tobacco, in addition to a whiff of mustard, fisherman’s rope and a pleasant dusty edge. Beneath I discover some pink apples, delicate berries and lemons, black pepper and salted nuts. Hints of ginger and nutmeg too. Then again to frivolously charred notes, now joined by gauze, gentle antiseptics and an previous cleansing material.
Mouth: punchy, with coastal peat, leathery notes and a mentholated layer. Then some mezcal-like sharpness and spicy oak. Faint raisin sweetness within the background, together with black pepper, brine and lemon peels. Darkish chocolate builds in direction of the top, in addition to hotter smoke, a touch of BBQ meat and a leafy umami be aware.
End: lengthy, with drier wooden smoke, extra leafy notes and leather-based.
The nostril (the very best half) is pretty complicated and clear – it’s properly peated, not solely in an Islay fashion however a extra dusty, muddy fashion of its personal. On the palate the profile is taken additional, with a number of leafy notes and a sharper coastal facet. Total the sherry is kind of delicate right here. A pleasant addition to the collection, with the character of an previous fisherman and a good worth. Now obtainable from The Whisky Change, however given the smaller yield, in all probability not very lengthy.
