An apt description -- tasting a 12 year old Highland Park

The good folks at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society called their 137th bottling of Highland Park "Oooh! Ouch! Aaah!", which is pretty close to an apt description, particularly the middle of the three. Bottled at 58.7% abv, this refill sherry butt gave its all and then some to a rough and tumble single malt. The color is a copper-red, deep and luscious. The nose is powerful with notes of Marmite, organe peel, lemon rind (not the zest, though, which would be more pungent), and even sweet twizzler (not quite strawberry, but perhaps some cherry or grape juice like Welchs.) At the first taste, it is firey with some tannic qualities, and just a bit of sweetness like a fresh white grape off the vine. With time in the glass, it calms down quite a bit, but is still robust. The sherry notes come more to the front even without water, but some added water calms it more and the oloroso comes out. This is a brute of a whisky and needs some time in the glass, water, and a strong tongue with a smooth coating of teflon.