It’s a yearly custom to evaluation the extremely anticipated Black Friday whisky from The Whisky Alternate. Now the idea could also be carrying out a bit (and turning into extra widespread amongst retailers) so the yield is significantly decrease this 12 months. They’ve additionally neglected the showy countdown as bottles remained accessible far past Black Friday. Anyway, it’s normally a restricted version with a pleasant profile and prime quality at a really pleasant worth. The 2023 version was a middle-aged Glenkinchie.
Black Friday 2024 brings us a 16 12 months outdated Highland single malt from an undisclosed distillery on the Island of Jura. Okay, so the title will not be on the label but it surely’s not so undisclosed in spite of everything. Matured in an Oloroso sherry hogshead, is claimed to mix coastal minerality with an old school sherry character.
Highlands Single Malt 16 yo ‘Black Friday’ 2008 (53,8%, The Whisky Alternate 2024, 800 btl.)
Nostril: a really earthy and seaside type 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, refined berries and lemons, black pepper and salted nuts. Hints of ginger and nutmeg too. Then again to evenly charred notes, now joined by gauze, gentle antiseptics and an outdated cleansing fabric.
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 the direction of the tip, in addition to hotter smoke, a touch of BBQ meat and a leafy umami observe.
End: lengthy, with drier wooden smoke, extra leafy notes and leather-based.
The nostril (one of the best half) is pretty advanced and clear – it’s properly peated, not completely in an Islay type however a extra dusty, muddy type of its personal. On the palate the profile is taken additional, with numerous leafy notes and a sharper coastal aspect. General the sherry is kind of refined right here. A pleasant addition to the collection, with the character of an outdated fisherman and a good worth. Now accessible from The Whisky Alternate, however given the smaller yield, in all probability not very lengthy.
