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Highland Park Dragon Legend Review
TASTE.
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Info
Type – Single Malt
Age – Unstated
Location – Highlands
Casks – Sherry
Price – £39.95
Taste Profile
Smokiness – 2.5/5
Fruitiness – 4/5
Oakiness – 1/5
Spiciness – 2/5
Boldness – 4/5
Interested in this whisky?
What do we think of this whisky?
With the name ‘Dragon Legend’ we just had to try Highland Park’s more unique offering. Sherry cask scotches are popular among the Highlands with distilleries like Glenfarclas also using the fortified wine casks. Highland Park usually peat their whiskies but are not on the same level of smokiness that you’d find with a lot of Islay options. However, with a dragon in this product name, let’s see if it’s any more toasted.
The nose carries deep sherry, dried fruits and a bit of melon aromas. The peat is overpowered by the sherry cask notes however. For those that are put off by very smoked fragrances this is quite welcoming option.
The taste is when the peat hits you but it’s nicely rounded off by the sweeter sherry notes or raisins. There’s definitely some of that highland savoury spice in there but it’s more mellow than say their 12 Year Old offering.
The sweet characteristics slightly overpower the smoke, as with the nose, which is nice but you do occasionally wonder how natural the sweetness is as the finish is quite dominant and almost chocolaty.
After a while, the finish is when a little oak from the barrel comes in. It’s quite subtle which is actually a nice change as a lot of scotches have a very prominent oaky flavour.
Overall, this is a different proposition and one at a reasonable price. If you like sherry’d single malts, the Dragon Legend will deliver. If you’re big into peat, this will fall short and you’re best looking to Islay offerings. Perhaps not a dangerous Dragon this one but a tamed one you can get along with for sure.
Should I add ice or water?
This one is quite full in body and flavour. While nice and fruity, some may prefer to add a little water or ice to tone it down a little. Not essential but worth a try.
PAIR.
What music genres pair well with this whisky?
Metal, Rock, Blues
What album have we chosen for this whisky?
This year (2021) will be the 30th anniversary of one of the most famous albums in a Dad rocker’s collection, AC/DC’s For Those About to Rock We Salute You. Arguably one of the longest album titles of all time, the album title is the name of the first track and is one of their big live hits.
Actually, it’s not because of the album itself that we’re pairing this with Highland Park’s Dragon Legend, it’s because of how they play it live. AC/DC always put on a good show. You don’t need to see them live to know this, just watching them on YouTube, will give you a sense of their showmanship. But the fact is, each time they come to this song in their set, their stage budget is unleashed with excessively large canons that fire at appropriate times when the lyrics give the orders.
This is an awesome song (and album) and we do like the Dragon Legend, it might not be perfect but it’s moreish. The fire of the Dragon and the canons make this a solid pairing.
ENJOY.
