Highwood Century Reserve Lot 15/25

This whisky is a blend of 100% corn whiskies aged between 15 and 25 years, supplied from stocks obtained from Potters by Highwood Distillery.

Nose: A nice bit of sharp grain, dried berries, raisins, and plums. There are lovely vanilla notes as well, which develop over time as the nose sits. There's a touch of creaminess, too, almost like caramel pudding. There's a bit of oak in the background, but it is not that powerful. 88%

Taste: The "rye spice" comes in prominently at first, alongside a decent dollop of corn - and it's beautiful...the rye gradually transforms from the slightly spicy grain to become fruit-forward before a wave of spice and heat come to finish the taste, leaving the taste of sharp rye and black pepper. It's reasonably sweet mid palate and the spices that come in at the end are those of cloves and a touch of nutmeg. There's a bit of honey in the background of the palate as well, and it is a bit nutty. The end of the taste is quite firm, which I quite like. 87%

Finish: The grain develops into some fruit as you take it in, and it is, unfortunately, a touch bitter. It's fairly strong though, and quite nice. There's vanilla in the background of the finish as well, and eventually bean sprouts come through. I can't really decide what to do with the finish - I like it and want to rate it high, yet there are some discordant parts which I don't want to rate too high. A slight bitterness develops after some time - if not for that, it would be fabulous. But it seems on the edge - I can't decide whether I slightly like it or slightly dislike it. There's some oak mixed into the bitterness as well, making it seem as though the bitterness is coming from the oak. Perhaps some of the older stocks in the blend contribute a bit too much bitterness...however, the finish is certainly interesting and develops in bold movements for over a minute (I timed it because I was so impressed) 90%

Intrigue: this is certainly a great value whisky, and is fabulous for the price. Jim Murray described it as "not quite meeting its potential", and at first I didn't agree but as I have spent more time with it I have to say that I am inclined to agree. I like so much about this whisky, but at times it feels a touch too bitter, a touch too out of balance with too much rye or too much dull fruit... 88%

Weighting the nose 25%, taste 35%, Finish 15%, and Intrigue 25% the overall grade is 88.

*I realized I would never have time to upload all my Canadian whisky reviews to connosr properly, so I've been importing the tasting notes in bulk to expand the whisky base on connosr. For more info on the whisky (with simiklar tasting notes), see my post at whiskywon.wordpress.com/2013/11/…