Single Malt Score: 88 ABV: 40% Region: Highlands Bottle: 7/10 Notes: Undisclosed Distillery
There’s very little info out there about Highland Queen. It’s a single malt from an undisclosed distillery, so buying it was a bit risky. As a cheap buy with a low abv, expectations weren’t high. But fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised by this stuff. It’s GOOD. I don’t know what distillery it comes from, so I won’t even hazard a guess, although others do seem to have their theories.
Nose: This is pretty rich given the low abv. Sherry, beautiful baking spices, buttered toast, cream, apple, pineapple, banana, crisp grass, vanilla, and some very nice oak. This is a unexpectedly clean and complex.
Palate: Medium bodied, with spices, fruit, and cream coming on first. Quite sweet, but not overly so. I’m really enjoying these spices, with cinnamon, nutmeg, and a bit of ginger. There’s also fresh grapes and berries, chocolate, caramel, sultanas, and coffee.
Finish: Milk chocolate and caramel (think Rolo) and some very lush fruit notes. Coconut, berry jam, grape, cream, butter, crème brulée, rich oak, woodspice, allspice, cinnamon, gentle anise, burnt toast, smoke, and mocha. Medium in length and very good.
Thoughts: This is MUCH better than I expected it to be. It’s crisp, clean, light, bright, and refreshing. It’s retained its highland-y character, and isn’t dominated by sherry (although the sherry influence is both apparent and brilliant). It also has a young freshness despite its 16 years. There are light fruity notes as well as dark sherry ones, and the balance is wonderful. The spices here are beautifully smooth and never hot, but still infuse a bold character into the whisky.
This is a whisky that would have a very broad appeal. It works on several levels. Beginners to seasoned connoisseurs would find something to enjoy here. There’s a lot of richness despite the low abv, a lot of complexity despite the low cost, and a lot of character despite the low expectations (given this is a lesser-known brand). Actually I’d love to know what distillery this comes from and try it at a higher abv. But as it is, this is still a delicious and substantial whisky that checks all the boxes. Well worth buying if you see it around.
嗅覺:
*乾淨的味道讓我很驚訝,對一瓶40%的威士忌來說這一款聞起來很濃烈…
*雪莉,肉桂,肉豆蔻,五香,奶油吐司,鮮奶油,蘋果,鳳梨,香蕉,青草,香草,橡木.
味覺:
*我很喜歡這一款的香料,口感適中.
*肉桂,肉豆蔻,薑,鳳梨,葡萄,鮮奶油,莓果,巧克力,焦糖,葡萄乾,咖啡.
後味:
*後味停留適中,非常平衡.
*牛奶巧克力,焦糖,椰子,莓果醬,葡萄,鮮奶油,奶油,焦糖布丁,濃郁橡木,五香,肉桂,
淡淡的八角,烤焦土司,煙燻,摩卡咖啡.
評語:
*我沒有想到這一款會如此好喝,完全沒料到!
HIGHLAND QUEEN 是一個牌子不是一個釀酒廠,HQ從某處買回自行包裝,所以我非常好奇是哪一家的酒廠做的,這款雖然只有40 %但是味道豐富,裡面有很多角色,是大家的基本入門款.
Nose: This is pretty rich given the low abv. Sherry, beautiful baking spices, buttered toast, cream, apple, pineapple, banana, crisp grass, vanilla, and some very nice oak. This is a unexpectedly clean and complex.
Palate: Medium bodied, with spices, fruit, and cream coming on first. Quite sweet, but not overly so. I’m really enjoying these spices, with cinnamon, nutmeg, and a bit of ginger. There’s also fresh grapes and berries, chocolate, caramel, sultanas, and coffee.
Finish: Milk chocolate and caramel (think Rolo) and some very lush fruit notes. Coconut, berry jam, grape, cream, butter, crème brulée, rich oak, woodspice, allspice, cinnamon, gentle anise, burnt toast, smoke, and mocha. Medium in length and very good.
Thoughts: This is MUCH better than I expected it to be. It’s crisp, clean, light, bright, and refreshing. It’s retained its highland-y character, and isn’t dominated by sherry (although the sherry influence is both apparent and brilliant). It also has a young freshness despite its 16 years. There are light fruity notes as well as dark sherry ones, and the balance is wonderful. The spices here are beautifully smooth and never hot, but still infuse a bold character into the whisky.
This is a whisky that would have a very broad appeal. It works on several levels. Beginners to seasoned connoisseurs would find something to enjoy here. There’s a lot of richness despite the low abv, a lot of complexity despite the low cost, and a lot of character despite the low expectations (given this is a lesser-known brand). Actually I’d love to know what distillery this comes from and try it at a higher abv. But as it is, this is still a delicious and substantial whisky that checks all the boxes. Well worth buying if you see it around.
嗅覺:
*乾淨的味道讓我很驚訝,對一瓶40%的威士忌來說這一款聞起來很濃烈…
*雪莉,肉桂,肉豆蔻,五香,奶油吐司,鮮奶油,蘋果,鳳梨,香蕉,青草,香草,橡木.
味覺:
*我很喜歡這一款的香料,口感適中.
*肉桂,肉豆蔻,薑,鳳梨,葡萄,鮮奶油,莓果,巧克力,焦糖,葡萄乾,咖啡.
後味:
*後味停留適中,非常平衡.
*牛奶巧克力,焦糖,椰子,莓果醬,葡萄,鮮奶油,奶油,焦糖布丁,濃郁橡木,五香,肉桂,
淡淡的八角,烤焦土司,煙燻,摩卡咖啡.
評語:
*我沒有想到這一款會如此好喝,完全沒料到!
HIGHLAND QUEEN 是一個牌子不是一個釀酒廠,HQ從某處買回自行包裝,所以我非常好奇是哪一家的酒廠做的,這款雖然只有40 %但是味道豐富,裡面有很多角色,是大家的基本入門款.
