New Club Whisky - Another Fantastic Murray McDavid

Well here we are again - another new Murray McDavid deal!  It's probably hard to keep getting excited about these, but they are such a consistant product and people really like them.  This is going to be my favorite of the bunch, but also the most controversial.  There's already a small disagreement brewing in the Redwood City store, however, I should say that the people who liked it are the people who really drink a lot of whisky.  Those who didn't like it are the more every other month, Speyside selection fans.  What that tells me so far is that this is for experienced drinkers only.  Here are my tasting notes:

Highland Park 14 Year Old, Murray McDavid, Chateau Lafite Cask Single Malt Whiskey $75.99 (CLUB PRICE $65.99) - Once again, Bruichladdich's Jim McEwan brings us another masterful bottling, blending legendary names from both the wine and whisky worlds.  This peach colored Highland Park expression has more smoke than the distillery bottlings do and when married with the exquisite claret influence of the Chateau Lafite barrels, the enhancement is truly marvelous.  Subtle hints of peat mark the entry before giving way to dried cherries and red fruits.  The mid-palate shows honey and then an earthy note before finishing rich and long, yet completely dry.  There is no kiss of sweetness to be found, only the classic campfire of the Island malts melded effortlessly with the flavor of Bordeaux's finest wine.  This is perhaps the most interesting and well-made of all the red wine enhanced whiskies we've seen so far.  An amazing whisky at a fantastic price.

I'm really curious to see how this one goes over.  I've tasted it four times now and each time I've liked it more than the previous one.  It keeps changing from peaty, to oily, to dried fruits, to earth and honey, to petrol and beyond.  It's the least obvious of the three MMc club whiskies, with the Springbank Yquem being universal and simple and the Bowmore rich and smoky.  This Highland Park is unlike any other HP I've ever tasted and that is the point of these bottlings, in my opinion: to bring something new to the table.  I have a feeling I'm going to get some flack for once from some of you, but I stand by my decision to go deep on this one.  I hope you all feel the same!

-David Driscoll

David Driscoll