Highwood White Owl Whisky

I just said in the title it was a good white whisky - this does not, of course, mean that it's a good sipping whisky. But I'd have this over new makes/white dogs any day.

I debated long and hard before I bought a bottle of this, mainly because I knew what this was - a fully aged whisky, made from wheat and rye before being filtered through charcoal many times to strip out the colour and much of the harsh (and not so harsh) flavours. Some of the stock going into this is 12 years old, so they're not skimping out on this stuff. However, it's not made to be sipped as a whisky - it's made to be used as an elegant mixer, for which it is excellent (from personal experience). I'm glad now that I bought the bottle, but that's because I like some upscale cocktails.

The oak has done its good work on this one, and the effect is similar to the work of good oak on a well aged whisky (a good 18 year old, honeyed, viscous, and balanced) compared to a 12 year old version – but on a vodka or white rum as a base, not a whisky. Complexity, body, finish, and grip are all added. I compared a diluted vodka and diluted White Owl (both to the same strength), and the white owl is much softer, rounder, with much more flavour, body, and richness – even diluted.

Cocktails aside, here's how I rate this one as a sipper.

Nose: This one, of course, is quite different. Quite spirit-like – with lots of vapours coming off the nose in the style of a vodka rather than a whisky. There’s a buttery note, with a bit of vanilla, almost a bit like some rum-flavoured candies or buttery caramels, and a hint of light honey. There’s also a bit of negative bitterness and meatiness with some rye whiskies that I find – but it isn’t that prominent and isn’t really that much of a detraction. It’s very simple – the light, buttery caramel is quite nice though. 72%

Taste: Clean, and distinctly buttery, with some light vanilla, caramel, a touch of molasses and brown sugar, and a slight sweet edge (though not that sweet). It is quite clean, yet it is quite rich despite being not overly complex. It reminds me of many of the sweet and honeyed notes of Jack Daniel’s, and, indeed, I have tasted Jack Daniel’s in a comparitive tasting and found it strongly reminded me of this – I suppose that charcoal filtration in both whiskies does unearth certain flavours to the surface. 83%

Finish: Very clean, with some rye spice coming through – cinnamon, clove, and a bit of the buttery, rich taste on the palate – which remains for some time, with a touch of oak even coming out from time to time. Surprisingly spicy, in fact – spicier than the whole experience so far, I think. 77%

Intrigue: I feel bad rating this as a sipping whisky, because it is not. It’s still pleasant to sip, though the nose isn’t great. However, really, if you have a bottle of this it needs to be mixed – that’s what it was crafted for and that’s what it’s really good at. From what I’ve heard, Highwood can’t keep up with demand for this, because of all the mixologists. It would provide a great twist on white rum cocktails, as well as give some depth and breadth to many vodka cocktails. 78%

Am I glad I bought the bottle? yes. Would I buy again? Maybe not. It all depends on how good the cocktails continue to be, but even then, I like to not strike as high as 40$ when I can for mixing, even for my upscale stuff.

Weighting the nose 25%, taste 35%, Finish 15%, and Intrigue 25% the overall grade is 78. And that's a sipping whisky mark...I enjoy sipping this one more than whiskies I mark lower than this, and in head to head comparisons that has been proven true. So, as a sipper, that's where I place it. However, do know that some people wouldn't put it that high (@YakLord gave this a 30...) and know that if you are buying this to sip it likely won't keep you intrigued for too long. But...a different whisky experience for sure.