The Highland Park 50 Year Old will even look better than that Russian Bear Clock on your mantle.  The Scotch is encased in a limited edition bottle which is wrapped in a netting of hand-crafted ornate sterling silver designed by Maeve Gillies, Scottish bridal jewelry designer based in New York.  The bottle design is said to express the best of Orkney’s natural elements.  The bottle itself is then packaged in a hand-carved oak box, with a sterling silver porthole, allowing one to spy the prize inside.

Highland Park describes this gem as:

Highland Park 50 Year Old is the distillery’s oldest and most prestigious release. Only 275 bottles of this remarkable Limited Edition are available. It is a vatting of five casks distilled in 1960. Like all Highland Park, the 50 year old has been cask-harmonised, that is to say, refilled into casks upon reaching maturity in order to ensure perfect balance and consistency.

To ensure the full impact of the rich, complex flavours that come from a lifetime of maturation, Highland Park 50 Year Old has been bottled at 44.8% abv.

TASTING NOTES

Appearance:Clear and bright with burnished mahogany hues.

Nose:Complex and multi-layered; dusty wood and old tobacco pouch at first. Slowly the emphasis moves to fruit and spices; cooked damsons, raisins and nutmeg are all prevalent.

Palate:At full strength, it is rich and spicy with excellent tannins and notes of muscovado sugar to the fore with a hint of wax. When reduced, orange peel, camphor and cloves emerge.

Finish:Long and very spicy, slightly smoky remnants.

This treasured bottle is so special that it comes with its own YouTube video by Gerry Tosh, Highland Park’s Head of Brand Education: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHfbeBAK9kQ.

This is likely the last bottle of the original 275 that you will find available for purchase in the United States, making it the last great find of its kind.

- Rick C., Beltramo’s Spirits Buyer

Ed Kohl founded ImpEx Beverages, Inc. which controls an impressive catalogue of products such as the Chieftain’s line of independent bottlings, Kilchoman, Isle of Arran, and others both within and outside of the Scotch Whisky category. With nearly 40 years in the Beverage Industry, Ed Kohl has a wealth of experience and spirits knowledge that he happily calls upon while touring America and Europe giving educational seminars on all matters Whisky.

From Kilchoman Distillery on Islay, joining the group will be Anthony Wills to lead tasters through a couple of the distillery’s recent releases. Wills founded Kilchoman in 2005, making it one of the newest distilleries in Scotland, and the first to open up on Islay in over 100 years. The production levels at Kilchoman are small, but it continues to be one of the most exciting distilleries in the business due to its artisanal production methods, wide array of frequent releases, and the variety of styles that Anthony and his colleagues take on.

Talking about the Isle of Arran line of Single Malts will be Louisa Young. Having spent time at Tullibardine Distillery, Young is currently the senior brand manager for Arran Single Malt. The Arran Distillery opened in 1995 and joins the island’s long history of superb and unique Whiskies.

VITAL STATS:

Date:    October 4, 2012 at 6:30pm

What:   Scotch Tasting & Light Appetizers

Place:   Zibibbo Restaurant – 430 Kipling Street, Palo Alto

Price:    $49.00 per person

Required: Advance Reservations by calling Rick at 650-325-2806

THE SCOTCHES:

BunnahabhainPeated 14 Years Old Chieftain’s Bottling

Glenturret 21 Years Old Cask Strength Chieftain’s Bottling

Balmenach 28 Years Old Cask Strength Chieftain’s Bottling

KilchomanMachir Bay

Kilchoman Sherry Cask

Isle of Arran 10 Years Old

Isle of Arran 14 Years Old

Isle of Arran Sauternes Finish

PRONUNCIATION KEY:

Kilchoman(kil-HO-man)

Arran(AIR-ren)  

Bunnahabhain(boon-a-HAH-vun)

Glenturret (glen-THUR-ret)

Balmenach(bal-MEN-ick)

Neal F., Beltramo’s Spirits Staff