Whisky Review: Highland Park Magnus

with delicate hints of heather honey and vanilla. Tasting Notes: Highland Park Magnus Vital Stats: 750 ml; 40% ABV / 80 proof; $39.99 suggested retail price; North American (only) release Appearance: Color is pale gold. The whisky has fairly thin, watery legs that preclude the type of beading that comes with age. Let’s try this whisky together, shall we? Nose: We’re off to a promising start. Mmm. Orcadian peat rises up through a wedding bed of date and prune. A delicate floral presence wafts in the background, reminding us of jasmine and orange blossom. Other, less prominent, scents include oak tannin, marine air, and honeycomb. Palate: The mouth feel is less than generous. A bit watery, as expected, due to the somewhat miserly 80 proof strength. Dried fruits and spices constitute the bulk of our first impression. As always, that yummy Highland Park malt presence is a welcome one. We’re getting more date and prune, together with golden raisin. Allspice and black pepper adds a welcome focus to the palate. Sweet, salty, and bitter combine into a slightly unbalanced overall taste, at least as compared with Svein, which I recently reviewed. There’s ginger, honey, Irish breakfast tea, brine, dandelion green, and a lovely hint of heathery peat. The finish is fairly short in length with a bitter final downturn at the death. We would have guessed some virgin oak casks were used in this batch, if we hadn’t been told it was made with Sherry seasoned American oak casks, along with refill casks.