Highland Park Dark Origins Single Malt Scotch Review

Photo courtesy Edrington

This past July at Tales of the Cocktail, I had a chance to speak with Stephanie Ridgway, brand manager for Highland Park. Our conversation covered the “dark” history of the distillery, age statements, and Highland Park Dark Origins, the distillery’s newest addition to their core lineup. The name of the whisky is a nod to how the distillery came to be founded. Let’s kick off a short Highland Park series with what I learned from that fascinating conversation and a review of Highland Park Dark Origins.

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National Bourbon Heritage Month Cocktails

As Bourbon Heritage Month nears its end, Diageo sent out a few cocktail recipes I thought I’d share.

The Anytimer

Photo courtesy Diageo.

1.3 oz. Bulleit Bourbon

1 oz. Orange juice

1. oz. Lemon juice

1/2 oz. Simple syrup

1/2 oz. amaretto

Shake ingredients and strain into an ice filled tumbler. Garnish with an orange and cherry.

Gramercy Buck

Cocktail created by Amanda Tissue of the Gramercy Park Hotel

Photo courtesy Diageo

1.3 oz. Blade and Bow Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
1 oz. Lemon Juice
.75 oz. Simple Syrup
Muddled Strawberries

Top off with Ginger Beer

Serve in a highball glass.

Old Fashioned

Photo courtesy Diageo

1.3 oz. I.W. Harper Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Bar Spoon of Brown Sugar
Dash of Orange Bitters
2 Dashes Aromatic Bitters
House-made Cherries
Garnish with Orange Twist

Booker’s Bourbon – Batch 2015-04 “Oven Buster” Review

Phot courtesy Jim Beam

Booker’s is one of my favorite whiskies from Jim Beam. Better yet, it’s one of my favorite barrel-proof bourbons, period. The fourth batch of Booker’s, “Oven Buster”, is here. Picked from a roundtable of whiskey writers and experts, batch 2015-04 is also the year’s youngest release. This one is aged 6.5 years and arrives at a respectable 127 proof.