Highland Park Twisted Tattoo 16 Year

We've got a Greek relic here that is no wedding, but unmistakably singular - matured for 16 years in ex-bourbon and Spanish Rioja wine casks. It's no Oedipus or Prometheus, perhaps... But neither is it a myth of emergence like the birth of Athena or the transformation of Hermaphroditus. I'm referring to οὐροβόρος - Ouroboros - that symbol of a serpent biting its own tail! Forming a circular tube - it's all about balance, transmigration, continuity beyond horizons, and even fertility - first depicted in Egyptian antiquity. (Yes this reads like an unappetizing circus show but, no pressure, indulge me.) The archetype then manifested itself... much later... in Norse mythology as Jörmungandr, child of Loki, that grew so large as to encircle the entire world and earn the name, Midgard, or "world serpent". Holy cow!!! This latter thing is what is noted on the box as the inspiration for this fine whisky. All quite interesting, but I gave that classical history only a flicker of thought when compared to what I more keenly associated it with, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". (The 2009 film starring Noomi Rapace in the original Swedish production, and Mara Rooney in the 2011 U.S. version. Cracking nice entertainment, both!) Did I think through all that just to acquire a bottle? Indeed, I did. (Or, it could've been the clouds of smoke and dim orange sunlight blanketing the L.A. skyline as wildfires scorched the West Coast.) There I stood at the store like a meth smoker in some stupefied condition, I could only narrate as 'brain freeze'. Regardless, I managed to make a decision, buy it, then drive home without too much cognitive dissonance and plenty of anticipation. After arriving at the pad with the box, my partner took one look at it and glanced at me icily. The thought of decanting it crossed my mind, before I thought, "Just f----n' drink it, dude." All this because of the silly Nordic design on the box. Honestly, I could've probably done my partner better had I arrived home with a margherita pizza and wine. But it's not often you've got a winner that's better than dinner! Long story, short - don't let the look of the design detract you from picking one up - it's worth the drama. Now that the hard part's over, let's get onto the scotch! The nose has the characteristic Highland Park notes of honey and heathered peat. The aromas draw you in deeper with what most scotch drinkers should positively identify as a sherry-cask influence. Had I not known that this particular expression had been married in Spanish wine casks, I'd be none the wiser. The palate is reminiscent of the HP 12 as its foundation, but masterfully intensified and augmented. The additional years of maturation layer on the honey flow, even as the fruity red wine notes fluently meld into an almost citrus-like sweetness. Like the threading of a rope, this spirit is a harmonious dance - two effusive streams of flavor - intertwining in a delicious tango. The mouthfeel is exquisite and oily, and pleasing at 46% ABV. (I like oily. Oily is valuable.) The finish is where the red wine tannins emerge alongside the peat, and together with the vibrant citrus notes, they make for a rare outro. I've read more than once the criticism that the Highland Park distillery cask management was no longer optimal. But I feel the inclusion of these wine casks has invigorated what has been missing since the storied 'old' HP line was rebranded in 'new' livery. I hope they keep up that trend. At this point, I can't imagine how the Highland Park 18 could be any better at a lower 43% alcohol-by-volume. Heat is not even an issue here. I'm honestly captivated by this expression. After two drams, I found myself as gleeful with this discovery as I was when eating at a McDonalds or Burger King as a kid. I went back to the store and picked up a second bottle. This limited release is just that good.

On the heels of a good experience with the HP Full Volume, I'm going back to the well for another. The Twisted Tattoo is 16 years old and 46.7% ABV. At $100, the specs are quite similar to the Full Volume. Mix in some Spanish Rioja cask influence with the bourbon casks and that's what we're working with here. Let's get into it. Nose: Creamy vanilla custard and red fruit leap out of the glass. Cranberry, raisin, red grape, and apple. There's some honeydew. Caramel, butterscotch, cinnamon, and baking spice. Plenty of oak. Walnut and macadamia. Not a lot of peat or brine, but there is a hit of sulfur. It's all good stuff, but the sulfur is a little too prominent. Slight deduction for that, but it's still decent. Edit: This really opened up over time--I've given it about a year since the review. The sulfur notes have been suppressed and the fruit notes now flourish. Palate: There's still a bit of sulfur, but it's drowned out by a much welcome presence of peat smoke and brine. Sea salt. More of the honeydew, cranberry, and golden raisin. Lime and red grape. Heavy malt flavor with caramel, fudge, vanilla, coffee, butterscotch, and honey. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and white pepper. Some heavy oak. This is a great translation of the nose; all of the core notes are here, and the peat smoke and briny notes rectify the overly sulfuric nose. Finish: Moderate length, leaning toward short. Honeydew and red fruit. Raisin, cranberry, and grape are prominent at the beginning. Sulfur with some smoke and sea salt. Cinnamon and black bean red pepper chili. It's a spicy one, and reflects a respectable proof. A touch of dark chocolate to balance things out at the end. Finally, more of the nutty and oaky notes. Good stuff. This is a good whisky. The first I ever recall having that's been aged in Rioja casks. Yet, this captures the classic HP spirit. It makes for a nice combination. It's got its flaws, especially on the nose, but it drinks well and checks many of my boxes. This one clocks in right in the range of the HP 15 and the HP Full Volume 17. I give a slight edge to those two, but this is just a hair behind them. And that considers age, price, and proof. If you're a Highland Park fanatic, this is an easy buy. Otherwise, I'd consider this an experimental purchase. HP seems to be making a concerted effort to shed its reputation as a producer of over-priced NAS malts that exploit an adopted Viking heritage. Over the past year, I've reviewed the 12 year CS Riptide, the 17 year Full Volume, and now this. I'm happy to see the distillery adjust to (admittedly deserved) criticism. The Twisted Tattoo is worth its salt, and to that I say a job well done.

It is very easy to get trapped by Highland Park's marketing. One of my favorite distilleries, with great looking bottles. This time a beautiful black decanter with a red snake (dragon-like creature), which represents Jormundgander, a mythological Snake, created by Loki the norse god of deception. It was said that the Snake was so big, it could cover the whole "Midgard" (our earth) with its tail, and even bite it. Finally, the snake was exiled by Thor, to a sea that surrounds the earth, till Ragnarok, the final battle, occurs. This amazing story just made me more demanding of a nice score for the actual whisky. Highland Park The Twisted Tattoo is a 16yo whisky matured in spanish Rioja Wine Casks. Pretty fancy stuff. Bottled at 46.7%abv, with a nice deep copper color. On the nose it is excelent. Starts with some red fruitiness, like strawberries, marmalade and aromatic peat. Salt, chocolate and a lot of Mint. It feels cold, like the whisky was kept on the fridge. Medicinal, ashy and naphtalene. After a first sip, it revealed a more maritime profile, like seaweed, pepper and vanilla. White chocolate. After a second sip it has become very salty on the nose. On the palate, starts again with red fruits, to turn into white chocolate for a few seconds and then a pepper bomb. It is very peppery, but it has a lot of wine influence, hence the red fruitiness. Mint, this note is the one that marks the rythm of this dram. Aftertaste is lovely, it is the best part of this whisky. It has a lot of tannins, but also salty and peppery. Ashes, cigarrettes, ginger and spanish ham. After a couple of sips, it went full medicinal, like keeping a tylenol on your palate for a few seconds. Lots of mint here again. Overall, this is a nice, a little bipolar dram. Good amount of flavors and fairly complex, bu somehow it feels the palate is just a transition from nose to aftertaste. I think it is good, and interesting, but not my favorite Highland Park. Still, it manages to get a 90 over 100 in my scorecard, so, i believe you should at least try it once in your lifetime. Sláinte!

I wanted to write a few more interesting reviews but the distillers ap is just such an awful tool and we still can't add whisky with an actual computer (well I guess I could install blue stack and then download the ap and use my desktop but what a pain just to add whiskies). Anyway, a bit more well known brand. Highland Park, perhaps second to macallan in terms of whisky prestige but unlike macallan they seem to be able to put out a good product at generally reasonable prices. This one coming in at 100 bucks for a 16 year age statement seems like a pretty big win. Nose - I get vanilla, some red wine tannins, a bit of a spice, perhaps a strawberry. Taste - Great transitions on this one. It opens with some sweet bourbon barrel cask notes, vanilla, caramel, cream, etc. Then it transitions to vanilla and red fruits, I'd think sherry if I didn't know it was a red wine. The the finish goes into this really nice long and lingering oak and perhaps some kinda of red wine like dryness. There's still some bourbon elements as well in there. Given HP uses peat I assume I'm getting some in the finish as well, but without knowing that I'd have thought it was more coming from the oak but peat sensitive people will notice it. I came into this one blind, neck pour, and my only review notes I'd heard were a few people who were fans, but not exactly people I tend to follow closely. Water is a pass on this one, brings out oak without much else. Anyway for 100 bucks and at 46.7% I think we've got a winner guys. I think this is a very reasonable value and I'm scoring it a solid 3.0. Absolutely worth picking up if you see it for about that price point and honestly unless you're ultra peat sensitive, I'd be willing to say this will be a winner for any scotch drinker and most whisky drinkers in general. I used to say HP 18 was the best way to show someone what scotch is. As the price on that has gone up and the abv remains 43%, I think this one might be the one in their lineup to introduce people to.

I had several Highland Park whiskies now and they have a special taste uniqueness that you definitely can taste in all of them. While this one is really nice as well, now that I had the 18y you don't really wanna go back to anything younger or the multiple NAS they have. They all have the typical HP note but the 18y just brings it all together much better. Until I have tasted something older than the 18y from HP I wouldn't really want to get or recommend something else. And if the price tag doesn't allow for the 18y I think the 12y is still the best alternative. I still haven't figured out why HP does all these different NAS and special editions.

If you’ve had a few bottles of HP12 and are looking to step up to the HP18 but don’t like the nearly $200 price tag, grab a bottle of this. In my area it’s around $95. All of the typical HP fruity, peaty, spicy notes you get on the 12, but with the ABV turned up to 46% it has that extra bite, a longer finish, and seems a little more complex on the palate. Handles water quite well if you want to turn down the tongue tingle, but it really drinks more like a 43ABV so doesn’t need it IMO.