
October 4, 2018

New Highland Park OB vs. IB

Could there be too much Highland Park around (including all those anonymous Orkney malts that are too potent to be Scapa)? Of course not since with anything good, plenty is no plague. And after all Highland Park is only WF’s #2 as far as numbers of different expressions are concerned, with approx. 450 different tasting notes, and counting!

Highland Park ‘Valknut’ (46.8%, OB, 2018)

Yet more Viking things, let’s see… (while wondering when the Distillery are going to mail empty skulls as free gifts with any purchases)… Colour: pale gold. Nose: it noses pretty young, with a few notes of mashed potatoes and turnips at first, then more herbal notes, porridge, ale, ginger, and a touch of sherry. Perhaps a little grass smoke as well? Some sourness (those turnips) that may come from young age. Well we won’t know for sure since it’s a NAS. Mouth: at first rather rounder than I had expected and, honestly, better. I mean, more to my liking. A smoky pepper, perhaps, fruit peelings, walnuts (hence the name I suppose – joking), a touch of burnt caramel, and a clear modern-HP-ness, whatever that means. Something both coastal and mineral. Finish: rather long, and a little medicinal. Very nice finish, no roughness but it’s solid and firm. Comments: one of the better new NASses, I think. And isn’t the name funny, in a world of old rags and bones? (it’s not that Viking, S.!)
SGP:462 - 87 points.

And an indie counterpart…

Highland Park 27 yo 1991/2018 (52%, Signatory Vintage, 30th Anniversary, sherry butt, cask #15086, 545 bottles)

Indeed, Signatory are 30! Amazing work throughout the decades, and some incredible celebratory bottlings. Granted, an HP 1991 is not something extremely rare, but they’ve also issued a new North Port and a new Ladyburn, imagine! Those two soon on WF… Colour: amber. Nose: you’d swear you’re nosing some proper old palo cortado at first, with some magnificent buttered walnuts as well as wee whiffs of natural rubber (hevea) and perhaps bicycle inner tube. It is reminiscent of sulphur, I would say, but that’s exactly the kind, and the amount of sulphur that represent an asset in this context. Some cigar tobacco too, raw chocolate, Bovril/Viandox… With water: more towards tyre repair kits and even more walnuts, both old and fresh. Mouth (neat): all in keeping with the nose, flavour for aroma. Chocolate, meat juice, liquorice, tar, Seville oranges, and some perfect bone-dry oxidative sherry. With water: it’s the meat that wins. Ham, more Bovril, mushroom and bacon soup, and always a lot of walnuts. I’m finding this extremely good, and very Jerezian. Finish: long, getting a tad dry and gingery now. Bitter oranges. Comments: utterly loved the meatiness in this one. A fleshy HP, shall we say. Happy 30th, Signatory Vintage!
SGP:362 - 90 points.

Well, that was short, but it was good. To me, at least.

Check the index of all Highland Park we've tasted so far