Name: Highland Park – Magnus
Color: Yellow
Nose: Sweet, heather, honey, light smoke
Taste: Vanilla, honey, light peat
Review:
Highland Park Magnus whisky is a single malt, non-aged stated scotch. It is named after the founder Magnus Eunson who built the distillery in 1798 in the Orkney Islands of Scotland. If you are not familiar with Highland Park you should know they are one of the major players in the whisky world.
The Magnus expression is lighter and less complex compared to the Highland Park Valkyrie expression I recently reviewed. Magnus does not have a heavy smoke/peat or complex flavor profile. It is a good scotch, but not amazing when it comes to the taste. Valkyrie is better tasting, but not double the price better tasting. I find Magnus too light for the winter months. It will be good for the summer months if you need some smoke and peat in the warm air.
A little bit of education for you when it comes to whisky botany; Highland Park uses Orcadian peat to smoke the barley for Magnus and for other expressions. Orcadian peat comes from decomposed Sphagnum moss (aka peat moss) and heather shrub (aka Calluna vulgaris). Some say they can smell and taste the difference. I have not done a comparison of peats and heather so I cannot tell the difference. I hope to in the future.
Sphagnum moss
Heather shrub
I am still not crazy about the black bottle design and labeling. I like to see the color of my scotch in the bottle. I am sure there is a good (marketing & advertising) reason for it.
Price around $40-50 depending on where you shop. It is decent, but nothing great. I’ll keep it on hand for the warmer weather.
If you like it, drink it! – Christopher
If you like it, drink it!
