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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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May 17, 2021 |
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Another barrow of Highland Park |
It is always a joy to taste HP. And it's even funnier to do that loosely, in no particular order, as they come to the tasting table. Like this… |
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Highland Park 14 yo 'Viking Soul Cask' (57%, OB for Humble Whisky, American oak firkin, cask #300151, 52 bottles) 
Those little firkins are something – when there's something left in wood after a few years of maturation, as they tend to leak. Love it that it's not sherry, by the way. Colour: amber. Nose: bingo, it's one of those retro-modern old-school malts, both compact and wide, if you like. Lovely sour cream, the trademark heather honey, elderberries, guavas, fresh wholegrain bread, sauna oil, pinewood smoke, broken branches, sourdough… Retro-modern indeed. With water: more pine-y oils, sauna, teak… I have to say I am a sucker for these aromas. Balsa wood. Mouth (neat): but this is super-good! Excellent citrus (lime and bergamots), tight earthiness, ground nuts, walnut wine, cough syrup… The oak's pretty tight too, but remember this was a firkin and we remain way below the limits (of oaky tightness). With water: excellent swimmer, although it wouldn't change much. Finish: long and piney, perhaps a tad woody at this point but just pour yourself another dram a.s.a.p. and you'll be fine. Comments: HP is a great, robust distillate that stands many kinds of treatments (just not lousy hastily-treated PX casks). Love the medicinal/piney touches in this little firkin; well-chosen, Jason.
SGP:462 - 89 points. |
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Highland Park 'Cask Strength' (63.5%, OB, +/-2020) 
NAS and exclusively ex-sherry, not obligatorily the best of news. But this is HP… Colour: gold. Nose: a bit brutal, leafy and leathery, a tad sour, but also pleasantly coastal. Some vanilla, some raisins – apparently. But then again, 63.5% vol. The jury's out and far away… With water: some menthol and some kelp, some liquorice, tobacco, a little kirschwasser perhaps, some fresh bread… Looks like we're getting there indeed. Mouth (neat): this is huge and extremely sweet, rather bizarrely and contrastingly. I do detect some great signs of Highlandparkness, but I've decided that I would need my palate for the next twenty years. So… With water: yep, salty wine and earthy breads, that's all things we like. The sherry's a tad too noticeable to me, but that's me. Finish: long, salty, with some menthol and many breads. Lemon in the aftertaste. Comments: what a distillate! It even survived a full-sherry treatment, at such young age! Even if that was probably mainly refill.
SGP:462 - 86 points. |
Perhaps another beastly one, and another attempt at shorter notes… |
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Highland Park 14 yo 2006/2020 (60.1%, Gordon & MacPhail, Connoisseurs Choice, refill sherry puncheon, cask #4269, 588 bottles) 
G&M have been instrumental to HP. Not only to HP. Colour: light gold. Nose: ho-ho-ho, chalk, candlewax, flints, peanut oil, Parma ham, marrow… With water: iodine, wet plaster, oysters, engine oil. You cannot beat that. Mouth (neat): sublime mineral, grassy, ultra-tight arrival, then chalk and lime. Who needs literature? (why do you keep calling your miserable gibberish 'literature', S.?) With water: instantly floors you. Crystalline smoky and mineral development, with just a few bits of lemon for decoration. Some oils too. Finish: long, tarrier. The greatly dirtier side of HP coming out. Comments: stunner alert, this is a true aristocratic thug of whisky. That was short indeed - et nunc est bibendum!
SGP:453 - 90 points. |
That one was really great, assuredly. But let's move on… |
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Highland Park 'Orkney Rowing Club' (58%, OB, 4000 bottles, 2019)
Some kind of charity bottling, as I understand it. Our dear friends in Scotland seem to be loving both rowing and piping. Colour: gold. Nose: fine smoked barley and cakes. Garden bonfire, scones, and cappuccino. This seems to work… With water: gets chalky, doughy and medicinal, which is typically 'modern HP'. I love modern HP, as long as no useless wood's been in use. So to speak. Mouth (neat): all good, all fine. Limoncello, a touch of crème de menthe, some chalk, then some grape pips oil and some even 'greener' oils. Cider apples. Love this tight greenness. With water: hurray! Perfect saltier lemons and earths, chalk, green teas, smoke… Orkney rowers have it good. Finish: pristine well-chiselled smoky, mineral and coastal barleyness. Riiiight up my alley. Even nicer, grapefruit in the aftertaste; that just always works. Comments: I think I've found a new hobby: rowing. Does that work glass-in-hand? Anyway, I am ready for Henley! This wee OB's on the heels of the brilliant G&M…
SGP:453 - 89 points. |
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Highland Park 13 yo 2007/2021 (57.1%, OB for Decadent Drinks, cask #4613, 349 bottles)
I find the name 'Decadent Drinks' very London, no? I think this is very sherried… And it is European oak. Hold on, is anyone in the UK still entitled to use the word 'European'? Colour: amber. Nose: stones, rocks, old engine, then chestnut purée and silverware, zwetschke pie and old copper coins, soot and proper tomato sauce… Well indeed this is pretty decadent, we're reminded of some much, much older bottlings of HP. Not only HP, to tell you the truth, you'd almost believe this an old dumpy C/S by CAD. That's probably the metals in there. With water: metal polish, metal polish, and metal polish. Plus Bolognese sauce and a drop of Maggi. We do know that the good folks at Decadent Drinks are huge fans of Maggi. Mouth (neat): oh very good, proper sherry on proper HP. It's just that it is a wee bit too strong, biting, and almost aggressive. But we have a solution at hand… With water: this is where sherried stuffs often get awry, but this one holds the road, with good smoke, vegetables, tobaccos and this wee gamey side. A drop of kirschwasser – which would always improve any dishes anyway, just like good grappa. Something I learnt at Barmetro's in Milano, quite some years ago. Hey let's try that, add a drop of grappa or marc or kirschwasser to any junk food – indeed, even to a Big Mac - and presto, enter the amazing world of high gastronomy! But back to this HP, it is very good indeed. Finish: long and good. A touch of fresh oak in the aftertaste. Comments: did I mention that citrus in the end of the aftertaste?
SGP:362 - 89 points. |
That's enough already. Next time - so tomorrow if all goes well - we'll have something totally different: Secret Orkneys! |
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