Highland Park Wings of the Eagle 16 yo (Travel Retail)

“There is much to be told. An eagle sits at the top of the ash, and it has the knowledge of many things.”

— Gylfaginning, The Prose Edda, Chapter 16

Today we’re about to review one of the latest Travel Retail edition by Highland park. This is the oldest of the 3 new TR editions  named after animals in the Viking Lore ; (including : Spirit of the Bear, and Loyalty of the Wolf). Wings of the eagle is aged 16 years in   sherry-seasoned American and European oak casks and bottled at 44.5% ABV and priced at €90 .

Highland Park Wings of the Eagle, 16 yo, 44.5% abv, €90 (Duty Free)

Nose: Very nice start with orange peel , candied oranges as well, quite a lot of oak wood (like!), and more sweet apricot , and a touch of dried fruit, mainly fig and date, that work quite well with pine resin sort of notes in the background, as well as heather honey , and vanilla. I tried looking for some smoke, or peat but there’s almost none of that…

Palate: Good mouthfeel, with more dried fruit, vanilla and spice. Hints of Marzipan, and quite a lot of yummy oak, pepper, and nutmeg, all well-integrated indeed, a hint of bitter cocoa and peat on the end notes, which adds a nice dimension (and yes, we’re in HP land).

Finish: Cocoa ,bitter chocolate, wood and some more earthy peat.

Conclusion:

This is a very good Travel Retail edition and quite worthy of the HP title. It offers a nice balance of wood, sherry influence and fruit, with a bit of peat and heather honey, all I am looking in a Highland Park. It might not be the BEST HP around, and still not as good as the quintessential 18 year-old, but If you’re traveling and looking for a good duty-free options, this is just that!

Score: 87/100

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