2005 Berry Bros. & Rudd Orkney, Cask Ref. 25 & 26, Highland, Single Malt Scotch Whisky (60.1%)
About this SPIRIT
Orkney Distilleries
The bracing and beautiful archipelago of Orkney boasts two excellent distilleries on its largest Island, which is referred to by Orcadians as ‘Mainland’. Scapa is the smaller, with only two stills, and produces predominantly unpeated whiskies of elegance and subtle charm.
Highland Park is the larger, although with only four stills is hardly a leviathan! The traditional style at Highland Park is a moderately peated spirit, aged in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks.
Orkney
Only part of Scotland for the last 500 or so years, Orkney feels like a long way from anywhere else. This windswept collection of 70 small islands lies off the northern coast of Scotland. Here, two distilleries vie for the honour of being the furthest north: Highland Park and Scapa. The winner by about 300m is Highland Park.
Many whisky enthusiasts consider Highland Park to be the best all-rounder there is. It manages to combine a richness and elegance, which appeals to lovers of Speyside styles, with just enough peat to keep the lovers of Islay whiskies interested.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
For a limited time, Cellar Plan members can enjoy a 20% saving on this spirit, with the discount automatically applied at checkout. This offer will revert to 10% at midday on December 16th.
Some things just seem to work better together: turkey with cranberry sauce, Santa and Rudolph, pigs in blankets. This pair of casks complemented each other so magnificently that we vatted them together to allow each to share the other’s greatest features: one bringing richness and generosity of spirit, the other bringing structure and quiet wisdom. After an advent-like period of anticipatedly marrying these casks together, we’re delighted to now offer it for winter evening drams.
Rob Whitehead, Spirits Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd
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