Gordon & Macphail - The MacPhails Collection - Highland Park - 8 years old

While traveling to Orkney recently a sample of this Gordon & MacPhail bottling from the MacPhails collection came home to taste. It is an 8 year old expression from the Highland Park distillery bottled at 43%.

On the nose I am getting notes of soft heather, nuts and mushrooms. Sweet canned fruit syrup, puffed pastry, red apples, creamy vanilla, spices, oranges, little bit of marzipan and in the back softly fermented black beans.

Palate has loads of the notes found on the nose. But showing more the orchard and stone fruit in it with the heather and herbal notes mixed together. Honey, mixed dried fruits, grilled ham and soft BBQ notes.

The finish is soft, medium length and has a bit smoke dryness lingering towards ashy in the end. But red and green apples with custard and fruit cake also come back through that on the finish. Lovely dram and scoring it an 8/10. Would not mind a bigger bottle of this one...