As beautiful and distinct as their
island home, the whiskies of Highland
Park are a connoisseur’s dream. Why?
Because they seem to have the best
qualities of whisky – smoky, peaty,
fruity, complex. In short, something for
everyone, or anyone.
Maybe this multifaceted nature of
Highland Park whisky can be traced to
its island home, Orkney. Situated,
seemingly, at the ends of the Earth,
Orkney has been previously described by
many others as “otherworldly”. I don’t
know about that, but I do know that the
whiskies are out of this world! Whether
you’re an Islay man or a Speyside guy,
you’ll find something to love about
Highland Park.
In that vein, one Islay man and two
Speyside guys sat down with the whole
range…
Highland park 12 year old:
If you like a youthful, heavily
sherried, yet vibrant dram, this
just might be the one for you. The
hints of heather, bitter orange, and
ozone in the nose belie a medium,
slightly oily mouth-feel. But it’s
in the finish where this expression
excels. Short, warming, lightly
peated, and with an essence of
orange cake, it’s the finish that
will hook you on this one.
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Highland Park 15 year old:
This may seem silly, but this
dram was…fun. It’s crisp, light body
was preceded by a nose of lightly
roasted pecans, malt, and fresh-cut
lawn. Not what we expected from a
Highland Park. And that carried over
to the finish. I’m not sure the
Highland Park people would
appreciate the comparison, but the
15 year old reminded me of a
“Lagavulin light”: peat, iodine,
burnt rope, but offset nicely by
tart apples and some chestnuts as it
wafted away in a very smooth finish.
In a word – Delicious.
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Highland Park 18 year old:
As a carnival barker might
say, “Alright everyone, step right
up!” When “whisky aficionados”
(snobs) talk about the
quintessential whisky, Highland Park
18 always comes up. And though it
pains me to agree with them, they’re
right on the money! This is the
“it’s-got-everything-you-could-want-in-a-whisky”
whisky. The nose recalls fresh mixed
nuts, cream soda, cotton candy,
heather, and fireplace embers. The
body is lightly chewy; substantial,
yet not overbearing. And the finish!
Muted heat of peat and smoke, some
marzipan sweetness, and that
trademark orange (peel) essence.
This is Highland Park.
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Highland Park 25 year old:
Where to start! Very complex,
with a nose full of sherry, honey,
wet walnuts, hospital gauze,
kumquats, and dried spices (yup, all
that!), this one perked-up some
tired eyes. The 25 year old had a
medium body that segued nicely into
a beautiful warm, shortish, lightly
biting finish full of fresh oranges
and lotus cakes. Syrupy, yet
slightly smoky, this is the only
bottle I took home with me. Need I
say more?
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Highland Park 30 year old:
Highland Park’s sippin’
whisky. Very subtle, with a (not
overpowering) oaky nose, that is
also slightly nutty with a vanilla
sweetness and musty character. There
seem to be different layers of
sweetness to the nose that just add
to the overall complexity of the
dram. The body is crisp and clean on
the palate, belying this whisky’s 30
years. This beauty’s smooth finish
completes the package – dry,
medium-to-short, with apples and
that almost omnipresent
bitter-orange character. A whisky to
be savored.
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Questions or comments are welcome, I can be reached at
brett@whiskyguild.com |
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Jan 07
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Feb 07
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