The history of the Highland Queen dates back to 1893, when a company called MacDonald & Muir began producing blended whisky. Initially, malt whiskey from the Glenmorangie distillery was mainly used for blending. However, in 2008 the brand was acquired by Tullibardine Distillery and the main malt whisky component was changed to Tullibardine own production. The Highland Queen series includes a comprehensive listing of blended whiskeys in different age groups, aged at least 3, 8, 12, 15, 18 and 30 years, as well as a few malt whiskeys. In Estonia, Highland Queen is mainly found in the Maxima grocery chain, where a 70 cl bottle was on offer for € 13.

Highland Queen 8 is a light and sweet whisky. The nose has honey and caramel, a little apple, wheat biscuits and malt. The sweet taste includes honey, apple, slightly bitter oak and spices, nutmeg and cloves. The taste is very smooth and sweet, Highland Queen is very easy to sip neat. It requires no extra water or even an ice cube. It’s straightforward and light blended Scotch, does not offer anything special, but very easy to drink for everybody. The spiciness adds a bit of complexity, but it’s still smooth and light, best to enjoy neat. Because of its light aroma, it is not the best candidate for cocktails.

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