To wrap up this quick Scotch review series we’re heading up to Orkney for both this review, the 2002 A.D. Rattray Orkney 15 Years, and the next one. Both whiskies come from the same Viking obsessed distillery which has long been one of my favorites. A distillery that when it’s on… it’s ON! Though, really, only when dealing with sherry.
This particular whisky was my contribution to our last Malt Nuts ex-Bourbon Highland Park tasting which showed that while Highland Park can be delicious in ex-Bourbon casks, it’s truly at its best in ex-Sherry casks. There’s something about the way its spirit interacts with sherry soaked wood that transforms HP from something good into something magical.
2002 A.D. Rattray Orkney 15 Years Review: Details and Tasting Notes
“An interesting malt from an undisclosed distillery on the mysterious Orkney Islands… A finely balanced and exquisite spirit.”
Details (price, mash bill, cask type, ABV, etc.)
Region: Islands, Scotland
Distiller: Highland Park
Bottler: A.D. Rattray
Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: ex-Bourbon Hogshead
Age: 15 Years
ABV: 58.2%
Cask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Barrel: 10
Bottles: 341
Price: NA – Auction, Specialty Store or Private Seller (~$100 when purchased)
Tasting Notes
EYE
Honey
NOSE
Honey, tropical fruit, spice, chalk, orange slices, floral and malt with a touch of vanilla and caramel.
PALATE
Honey, banana-heavy tropical fruit, spice, malt, orange slices, chalky candy and some cocoa, caramel, smoke and vanilla.
FINISH
Long -> Honey, malt, vanilla and smoke.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Good sense of balance, medium-full body and a light oily feel.
2002 A.D. Rattray Orkney 15 Years Review: Overall and Score
Aroma is dominated with malty tones and punctured by notes of fruit and bright candy sweetness; Palate his a lot of the same profiles, but get a lot more spice popping in with peat showing in light wisps; Finish gets a tad hot and dry, but stays mostly malty and sweet and where the smoke shows the most.
Not bad… not bad at all. I’ve had better HP, I’ve had worse HP, but this 2002 A.D. Rattray Orkney 15 Years has a decent delivery of warm fruity and malty notes I’m all too happy to have in my glass. In a base-line sense I’m enjoying this whisky and will enjoy killing the bottle during this ongoing quarantine.
SCORE: 3.5/5
2002 A.D. Rattray Orkney 15 Years Review $100
Overall
3.5- Nose (3.5)
- Palate (3.5)
- Finish (3.5)
- BBF (3.5)
User Review
0 (0 votes) Comments Rating 0 (0 reviews)2002 A.D. Rattray Orkney 15 Years Review Summary
A nice HP. It’s not super complex, but it is elegant in its delivery and is something I’m glad to be sipping on during quarantine.
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