Mini SBT from Oshima-san Sample A

The Mini SBT with Oshima-san, a regular collaborator, has arrived with three samples this time. Starting with Sample A: (Contents of blind tasting): ・Mini SBT from Oshima-san Sample A Aroma: Diverse fruits, ripe peaches and grapefruit zest, pineapple, apple, melon, orange, vanilla, cream, aged peat and refined barley notes from the background, smoky grasses and tea, with a matured old-world character. Taste: Smooth mouthfeel with strong fruity notes, peaches and pineapple, grassy undertones, barley sweetness that lingers on the tongue, accompanied by tar-like old peat. 【Very Good】 Extremely diverse fruity character, refined barley notes, and a sense of aged peat from the depths. It gives an impression of long aging or bottle variation. The old-world character is not overt, but there's a sense of aged peat and refined barley. It feels like it has been bottled some time ago, possibly with water addition and post-bottling changes. The first impression of the aroma was like a Speyside malt with old peat, but upon tasting, there's also a tar-like quality, giving an impression similar to the East Highlands. 40-43% ABV, 1980s-1990s release, 12-18 year aging. Possibly a vatting? ・Prediction 1. GlenDronach 2. GlenGlasa 3. GlenGrant Also considered was Springbank with stronger peat. The old-world character wasn't overly strong, making the prediction of aging period and vintage a bit challenging. Based on this tasting and predictions, I sent my response email. The correct answer was... Highland Park 12 Year Old Official 1990s Release 43% ABV This was the previous label's Highland Park. A bottle from the 1990s, perhaps? The specs were somewhat good, but Highland Park didn't come up. While it's understandable to call it Highland Park with peat, in terms of fruit direction and body, it didn't feel like the official Highland Park. However, a flavor profile similar to this would appear in long-aged Highland Parks like Duncan Taylor's. This time, the specs were somewhat clear from the old-world character and peat elements. However, such gentle-bodied fruity types often make it difficult to distinguish between long-aged or bottle variation. After the correct answer was announced, I discussed with Oshima-san, and it turned out to be a slightly lower liquid level bottle. As written in the prediction, 'water addition + post-bottling changes,' leading to a fruity change as the body began to dry out. This kind of fruitiness emerging from bottle drying has been a topic of discussion recently in my circle, though opinions differ on whether it's positive or negative. In this blind tasting, I had a positive view (though in open tastings, it often feels more negative...). Bottle aging is also interesting. Already mentioned several times, but this seems like a theme to explore further this year. #Highland Park (HIGHLANDPARK) #SBT #Thoughts