Kategoriarkiv: Highland Park

Highland Park, Islands

Highland Park 15 YO Viking Heart

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ABV: 44 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet fruits and floral peat. At first there’s a floral peatiness with notes of heather, tobacco and rubber. There’s also a top layer of red, sweet and sticky fruitiness with fresh sugared berries and baked apples. This layer increases with time in the glass. The whole is very mild and easy to access from the start. Underneath lies a malty mix with vanilla and honey, as well as mixed herbs and cinnamon. This is a great nose which feels slightly top heavy.

Mouth: It starts out very mild. First out is the vanilla sweetness which are soon followed by the floral peat and the fruitiness. There’s a lemon note which soon becomes slightly bitter and cesty. It’s not as sweet and sticky as on the nose and it feels a bit more balanced at this point. There’s still a lot of fragrant spices and herbs within and there’s a nice mix of sensations going on.

Finish: The transition increases the intensity at first, but not too much. It’s a nice and needed power boost. The peat lingers around the edges while the fruitiness now feels more fresh and tropical. The lemon zest is still residing in the back while a spicy and herbal oakiness start to take over. This is the first time the age makes itself known. It’s a very nice and aromatic oakiness with signs of some age to it. This is a good whisky with a lot to offer for both the explorer and the drinker, yet it lacks a bit of power and presence.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in sherry seasoned european and american oak casks as well as refill casks. It has natural colour.

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Highland Park, Islands

Highland Park Cask Strength – Release No.3

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ABV: 64.1 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

See the queue here.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in first-fill seasoned american and european oak casks as well as refill casks. This release has a higher peat content than the previous releases. It has natural colour.

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Highland Park, Islands

Highland Park 30 YO (2007 Vintage)

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ABV: 48.1 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark and fruity. At first there’s a fruitiness which mostly consists of dark dried fruit notes. They are covered in a thin vanilla layer and a lot of Christmas spices. There’s a thin nail polish remover note on top as well. This whisky really shows some age on the nose and everything within seems connected and integrated. There are notes of heather, old varnished oak furniture, a hint of lemon and just a tiny hint of tropical fruits. It gets fruitier with time in the glass. This is an amazing nose which really reflects the suggested content.

Mouth: It starts out with a dark and bitter background espresso note and a gooseberry and lemon top note with the old varnished oak furniture in between. There’s a nice amount of power and the christmas spices are still in there helping everything along. There’s a complexity to it, and an especially unplacable nutty note really denotes this. The vanilla is gone and so are the tropical fruits. It’s now a sweet dark fruit marmelade which seems to wrap itself around all other flavours. The age is very much present and it’s dusty and slightly damp. It’s very much takes its place and it’s not especially mellow. Good casks are present.

Finish: A surge in dried fruits leads the transition and it feels very logial and continues on the same path as before. It’s coffee in the back and christmas spices up front with old varnished oak in between. When everything start to die down the old oak takes the spotlight. The complex nuttiness re-emerges and the late finish is an amazing old, nutty and fragrant oakiness which lasts for a very long time. The gooseberry note is still in there (it’s not as sour as the berries, just the overall character of the taste). This is a great whisky with a lot to offer. It’s not an easy sipper by all means and it really presents itself as an aquired taste overall.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in Spanish ex-sherry casks for the entire aging period. It has natural colour.

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Highland Park, Islands

Highland Park Cask Strength – Release No.2

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ABV: 63.9 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 2
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a big hit from the high ABV spicyness. After a few seconds it mellows out and reveals a mix of dark fruits surrounding a sweet honey and vanilla core. There are raisins and overripe plums with some dark chocolate and earthy notes within. The sweet core has some toffee coming through. There’s also a heathery floral side to it. The high ABV creates a medicinal character which gives the whole another dimension. With time the sherry cask influence increases. This is a great and powerful nose which gives the explorer nice layers to peel off one by one.

Mouth: It starts out with a very spicy ABV kick which affects all parts of the mouth. The front of the palate is now full of fresh lemon while the back part houses the dark fruits, pipe tobacco and dark chocolate. In between lies the floral notes. It is almost too powerful at first impact which makes it somewhat hard to approach even for a seasoned whisky drinker. If water is added there are mixed dried fruits and cinnamon arriving and for those who persevere it becomes very balanced between the different flavour elements.

Finish: The spicyness spreads and creates a nice warm blanket on top. It immidiately becomes darker and the focus lies on the raisins, overripe plums and the dark chocolate. The sweet side is subdued throughout the finish. After a while a very nice damp and dusty oakiness starts to emerge. It evolves into a big hazelnuts and old cellar combination which fits the flavour profile extremely well. The late finish consists of dark chocolate, tobacco and the nutty oakiness and it delivers an extremely long and rewarding finish. This is a great whisky. It’s young and rowdy, but has been given a very nice suit to grow in.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in a mix of both european and american oak ex-sherry casks and a small portion of ex-bourbon barrels for an undisclosed amount of time. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Highland Park, Islands

Highland Park 16 YO – Twisted Tattoo

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ABV: 46,7 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and aromatic. At first there’s a thick honey and liquorice sweetness. There’s a thin outside layer of red berries, fresh fruits and a very mild peat. It feels very warm and welcoming and it feels rich and textured. With time in the glass the red berries takes a bigger role but they still reside on the edges. Cinnamon, vanilla and toffee appear together with the sweet notes in the center. A thin floral top note start to come through and after a while a hint fresh oranges and peaches join in. This is a very nice and welcoming nose with a lot to explore.

Mouth: It starts out with sweet liquorice and vanilla center. Ripe red grapes, blackberries and black coffee form a thick outer layer. There’s also a thin cloud of peat floating around but it’s not dominant at all. A black pepper spicyness arrive in a hastily manner, but it settles quite quickly. The oak becomes noticable and it comes with a hint of dust. There’s a transition from sweet and fresh to a darker bitter character happening which feels quite interesting.

Finish: At first there’s a second or two with a fresh fruitiness. Orange peel, red berries and fruits sits up front before it turns back towards the darker notes and the bitterness. A slightly astringent and dusty oak with coffee and hazelnuts comes through together with cinnamon and black pepper. The finish is rich and aromatic and it feels well balanced. There’s a hint of the peat left when all else settles but it’s easy to forget since it’s so far out of focus. This is a great whisky but it’s a bit hard to access the nice complexity behind the somewhat shallow exterior. Behind the sweet and warm front lies a nice array of flavours.

Additional information
This 16 YO Highland Park was aged in a mix of first fill Spanish Rioja red wine casks and american ex-bourbon barrels. It has natural colour.

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Highland Park, Islands

Highland Park Full Volume

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ABV: 47.2 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and floral. At first there’s a floral heathery core with a sweet honey and vanilla shell. Underneath lies a mild and herbaceous peatiness. Buried within there are notes of liquorice and oak. With time in the glass the sweetness retreats and the floral notes move forward. This is a nice nose but there’s not much more to discover outside the initial impression.

Mouth: It starts out sweet with liquorice and heather coming through once again. The peatiness is still extremely mild and it takes some time for it to increase in intensity. The peat never leaves the background but at its peak it creates a very nice three-dimensional experience. The oakiness do come through and brings a small hint of coconut but it takes a while to ger there.

Finish: There’s a spicyness which feels very balanced and gives the finish a nice send of. When it slowly subsides the floral notes and a hint of tropical fruits returns together with the sweetness. There’s a small and subtle bitterness in the back together with the peat. It stays consistant for a long time before the oak takes over. It’s a long and nice oakiness altough it’s generic flavourwise. This is a very good whisky although it feels quite far off from its heritage.

Additional information
Full Volume is a 1999 Vintage bottled in 2017. It’s aged in first fill ex-bourbon barrels and hogsheads. 481 casks were selected. It was filtered at +4 C and has natural colour.

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Highland Park, Islands

Highland Park Valfather

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ABV: 47 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is floral and peaty. At first there’s a honey sweetness surrounding a core of heathery peat with additional tobacco and coastal notes. There’s also a fruity layer which sits beneath everything else. It’s a fresher fruitiness with a mixed apple and pear juice vibe to it. A thin veil of oakiness can be detected around the edges of the glass as well as vanilla. This is a very nice nose with a variety of flavours coming through.

Mouth: It starts out with a generic sweetness and it takes a second of two before everything else starts to push through. The heathery peat is first, the honey and vanilla notes are second and lastly the fruits, which now lean more towards the apples. There’s a saltiness as well. The tobacco notes are not very prominent at this point. For those who are patient the oakiness builds up in an outer layer and becomes very noticable. The whole thing is very mild and easy on the palate.

Finish: The peat is first to push through with heather and tobacco within but they are subdued by a somewhat hard-to-pinpoint complex savory note. The floral notes swirl around and the heather is joined by a hint of violets and a feint taste of tropical fruits. The honey sweetness and the vanilla increase in intensity before the oakiness once again starts to take over. There’s bitter coffee note in the back and a pretty generic oakiness up front. This is a good whisky with a lot of good things within but it just doesn’t feel very well balanced overall.

Additional information
The Highland Park Valfather is made from 100 % peated barley. It’s aged in refill casks for an undisclosed amount of time.

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Highland Park, Islands

Highland Park 12 YO – Viking Honour

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet fruits and mild peat. Fresh red berries and vanilla create a thick layer up front. There’s also a lemon note in the middle and some dried fruits a bit further out. The mild peatiness seems to sit in between everything else and it brings notes of leather and a hint of tobacco. After a while all flavours seem to merge and agree on a sweet orange fruitiness. The vanilla stays out of it though and mellows out a bit. This is a mild and very pleasant nose.

Mouth: At first it’s just sweet vanilla for a second or two. The first thing arriving is a thin bitter note and the red berries and dried fruits, now presented as dried apricots with a hint of raisins. It soon changes towards oranges again and now the peel is included. The peat is much more noticable here and it now sits on the outer edges. It’s leather, tobacco and a hint of rubber. There’s no oakiness present yet and there’s no perticular change over time.

Finish: The peat slowly spreads out over the palate and then ends up towards the edges again. The frutiness is the same as before with red berries, dried apricots, raisins and orange peel. It takes a second or two for the oak to come through, but when it arrives it’s a great dry and nutty oak. It’s walnuts and a hint of assorted tropical fruits in there as well. The mild peaty aura with leather and tobacco is consistant through it all. This is mild but never boring. This is a great whisky for a tired brain.

Additional information
The 12 YO was first released in the 1970’s as a core range whisky. The ”Viking Honour” name was added in 2017. It’s mostly matured in european ex-sherry oak casks. It’s bottled with natural color.

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Highland Park, Islands

Highland Park 10 YO – Viking Scars

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a thick layer of honey and vanilla with dried fruits and red berries within. There are raisins and molten plums coming through, but the fruitiness is shifting over time. There is also an immidiate aura of oak hovering around the main flavours. After a second or two a very mild peatiness sort of makes itself known in the background. Over time the vanilla note takes over more and more and a lemon sourness starts to appear. There is a sprinkle of dust somewhere in the middle too. This is a nice and straight forward nose without any big surprises.

Mouth: It starts out with the sweetness up front and a bitterness in the back. It takes a while before it presents any descriptable flavours. First thing to unveil is a peaty background and a dusty layer just above it. In front of that there’s a spicy and bitter oakiness and on too there’s a mix of honey, vanilla and dried dark fruits. There’s also tobacco and black coffee and a big chunk of dark chocolate. The lemon note is still in there as a nice contrast to the heavier flavours.

Finish: It starts out with a mild, cooling peppermint. When it settles it reverts to being slightly peaty and bitter in the back with the sweet notes still in focus. The dried fruits gets a little more attention here just before the oakiness takes over. When it does it brings the peat forward and the finish is much more peaty which gives the whole a much needed depth. There’s still tobacco notes within. The oakiness is rather uninteresting and doesn’t bring anything special to the table. This is a nice straight forward dram which hugely benefits from time spent in the glass before consumption.

Additional information
The ”Viking Scars” name came from a rebranding 2017. It’s matured in ex-sherry casks made from both european and american oak and have natural colour.

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Highland Park, Islands

Highland Park Spirit of the Bear

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

See the queue here.

Additional information
This was released in 2018 as a travel retail exclusive. It’s aged in a mix of first fill sherry-seasoned european and american oak casks and refill casks. It has a higher proportion of peated malt. It has natural colour.

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Gordon & MacPhail, Highland Park, Independent bottlers, Islands

Highland Park 18 YO – 2002 (Gordon & MacPhail Cask Strength Connoisseur’s Choice)

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ABV: 58.1 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and spicy. At first there’s a mix of baking spices and menthol floating on top of a sweet center. It consists of ripe red fruits, fresh summer berries and icing sugar. There’s a hint of oakiness and caramel as well. A floral, heathery peat sits in the back but it’s not pronounced at all. The whole feels dessert-like, but it’s not overly sweet. It’s not a heavy nose and it feels poised and laid back even though the High ABV helps it along. This is a nice nose overall which feels younger than its age.

Mouth: It starts out with a big and powerful spicyness and a sweet layer of vanilla and caramel. On the outside there’s a layer of sweet syryp-soaked fruits. The center part grows slowly as the spicyness peaks and the fruitiness gets pushed away. There’s a peaty note in the background but the other flavours keep it subdued for the most part at this point. The oakiness is detectable but it’s sort of mixed with the spicyness.

Finish: The spicyness start to subside almost immidiately and gives room to the other flavours. It’s now a bit dusty and the age is finally shining through with a complexity in the center. The baking spices return and together with the sweet vanilla/caramel center and the fruitiness it creates a very pleasant finish, which is the best part of the journey. The oakiness makes a nice entrance at the end and even though it’s not the most special thing, it works both with the lingering fruitiness and the small peatiness which resides around the edges. This is a really good whisky. It’s sort of hard to identify as a Highland Park though.

Additional information
This is a single cask release. It was aged in a refill ex-sherry butt. It was distilled in 2002 and bottled in 2021. Cask no. 6431, batch no. 21/053. 572 bottles were released.

Highland Park, Islands

Caol Ila 11 YO (The Maltman)

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ABV: 54.4 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and peaty. At first there’s an ashy peat with notes of hay and wet dirt. There’s a big sweetness with vanilla, honey and mixed red berries. They are somewhat subdued at first but gets a bit more bold as time goes by. A black liquorice note is found somewhere in the back. The oak is detectable as a top note. The ashy note is in charge but the whole feels balanced and there’s no sharp edges. This is a nice nose with a lot of the house style shining through.

Mouth: It starts out with a generic sweetness and then a mild spicyness spreads out evenly throughout the palate. There’s a bitter tang in the back and it’s a dark chocolate bitterness. A lot of hay and earthy notes is found within the center part. The berries are now much darker and hides along the edges and mixes with the dark chocolate note in the back. The oakiness is still in there and gives it a nice extra dimension. The sweetness eventually switches to a butterscotch note in the center. It’s doesn’t feel as balanced as on the nose.

Finish: The spicyness increases slowly and gives it a nice power-up at the beginning of the transition. The oakiness comes early and fills an outside layer together with the hay and the ashy note, which now has returned. The dark chocolate note is still sitting in the back. After a while the ashy note once again takes over and spreads out over the palate. The fruitiness gets lost in everything else and almost disappears throughout the finish. This is a good whisky with a nice mix of grown-up flavours. It’s got a quite demanding flavour profile but that’s not a bad thing.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in a sherry butt between 2009-2021. This is cask no. 322973 and it’s limited to 493 bottles.

Highland Park, Islands

Highland Park Single Cask Series Thyra Danebod – Dronning av Danmark

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ABV: 62.8 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

See the queue here.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in a refill puncheon for 12 years (2007-2020). This is cask no. 4939 and it’s limited to 568 bottles.

Highland Park, Islands

Highland Park Cask Strength Edition Batch 4

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ABV: 60.8 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
(from Batch 2. Notes will be revised)
Nose: This is sort of laid back and sweet. There is an ABV spicyness coming through but it’s not invasive. There’s honey and vanilla together with a red fruitiness but the whole thing isn’t jumping out of the glass. There’s a subjective note of how a closet full of old clothes smell. The core flavours tend to move forward over time in the glass with red berries and dark dried fruits. It opens up and improves substantially with time.

Mouth: It starts out sweet and quite ABV spicy. A lemon note flies by before the red berries and dark fruits show up. There’s liqueur-soaked cherries and raisins. There’s a dusty note and just a thin leather note. The cask influence is sort of limited and it’s not a complex dram, but flavourful nontheless.

Finish: The high ABV shoots off a peppery spicyness before the sherry influence and a honey sweetness comes through. Vanilla is residing in the background together with some raisins and there’s not much of an oakiness, just a touch in the end. It comes through together with the thin leather note. There’s no astringency and basically no bitterness. A small chalk note comes through late in the finish.

Additional information
This expression was first released in 2013 as an exclusive for the swedish market. It’s aged in european ex-sherry casks for an undisclosed amount of time.

Highland Park, Islands

Highland Park 1998

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and floral. At first there’s a sweet mix of honey, vanilla and heather coming through from the center and a very mild whiff of peat and tobacco slowly rising up towards the edges. It takes a few seconds for them to meet up to create a whole. When they do the floral notes are pushed forwards together with a fresh fruitiness. The sweet layer moves slightly backwards and gets a butterscotch note added within. There’s also a menthol layer hovering above everything else. This is a very nice nose and it’s shaped like a cone; With a wide sweet bottom and a fresh pointy top.

Mouth: It starts out with a thick layer with everything mixed in. There are notes of heather, assorted tropical fruits, tobacco, peat, honey and vanilla. There’s even a fresh saw dust oakiness and they’re all coming through at once. After a few seconds it starts to once again create the same cone as on the nose with the fruitiness and heather up front and the sweetness in the back. The tobacco and peat smoke is a bit heavier in taste than on the nose. The oakiness is floating around outside of the cone.

Finish: The menthol returns for a quick visit but it’s soon pierced by the fresh tropical fruitiness and the floral notes. The oakiness is still very fresh with plenty of wood spices and it’s creating a woody scenery in the background. There’s also a hint of ripe fruits somewhere in the middle but maybe it’s the tobacco notes and the peat creating an illusion. This is a very good whisky despite its low ABV. It’s a bit mild and a bit too oaky, but it never feels flat and/or over-oaked.

Additional information
The Highland Park 1998 was bottled in 2016 so it’s a 12 YO expression. It’s a travel retail exclusive which focuses on maturation in first fill ex-american bourbon barrels.

Highland Park, Islands

Highland Park Einar

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a sweet round layer of honey and vanilla surrounding a core of fresh red berries. Underneath a mild and herbaceous peatiness creates a backdrop. There’s also a fresh peach and sour lemon freshness somewhere within. Cinnamon, oak and black liquorice are all in there as well. It becomes sweeter over time. This is a good nose but it feels a bit thin and shallow with the peatiness not really connecting to the other flavours.

Mouth: It starts out a bit flat, but soon there’s a honey and butterscotch note arriving together with a leathery and smoky peatiness and a mild black pepper spicyness. The fruitiness is sent to the back and the liquorice and honey notes are up front. There’s a nice gritty background flavour with oak, rubber and a hint of sulfur. This creates a much needed layer of complexity. The fruitiness comes back together with vanilla notes after a while.

Finish: The black pepper returns in small sprinkles as the finish starts with an otherwise flat array of sweetness and mild peat. There are still red berries within but they are now darker. There are raisins and overripe plums peeking through. The gritty background notes return and they stay behind together with vanilla and butterscotch when the oakiness starts to build up. The oakiness is a nice mix of fresh and dry oak and it’s got a nice spicy character. There’s also a small nutty side to it. This is a very good whisky but it really lacks some power.

Additional information
The Highland Park Einar was released as a travel retail exclusive in 2011. The ppm is 20 and it’s aged in both american and european Oloroso sherry seasoned oak casks. It has natural colour.

Highland Park, Islands

Highland Park 16 YO – Wings of the Eagle

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ABV: 44,5 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is mixed fruits and mild peat. At first there’s a heavy hit of mixed tropical fruits and red berries. Underneath lies a dark and slightly dirty baseline with raisins, a hint of sulfur and a very laid back aromatic tobacco peatiness. With time in the glass there’s oranges and nectarines coming through within the fruitiness. There’s also an outer layer of vanilla and oak which sort of clings to the edges of the glass. This is a very pleasant and welcoming nose without it being easy or boring.

Mouth: It starts out by filling the outer edges with a tobacco and leather peatiness. After a second of two there’s a dark sherry fruitiness filling up the center part of the palate with overripe plums, raisins and a dash of coffee liqueuer. The peatiness works it way closer to the center over time. It’s very rich in both taste and texture with an oily feel to it. For those who wait there’s a very pleasant vanilla oakiness joining the peat around the edges. The peat increases in intensity over time.

Finish: It starts out with a fresh peppermint gently sweeping through before a fresh tropical fruitiness arrives. The dark fruity sherry notes also return but are restricted to the background together with the peatiness, a hint of sulfur and black coffee. It stays like this for a good while and the oakiness comes through fashionably late. The oakiness is a nice mix of bitter notes and sweeter fresher vanilla ones. There’s a hint of walnuts, orange peel and coffee. This is a great whisky which offers flavours from contrasting sides and making them work together.

Additional information
This 16 YO was released in 2018 as a travel retail exclusive. It’s aged in a mix of sherry-seasoned european and american oak casks with an emphasis on the european casks. It has natural colour.

Highland Park, Islands

Highland Park Cask Strength – Release No.1

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ABV: 63,3 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is laid back and sweet. There is an ABV spicyness coming through but it’s not invasive. There’s honey and vanilla together with a red fruitiness but the whole thing isn’t jumping out of the glass. The core flavours tend to move forward over time in the glass with red berries and dark dried fruits. It opens up and improves substantially with time. It’s young and a bit spirity, but it’s a nice nose.

Mouth: It starts out sweet and quite ABV spicy. A lemon note flies by before the red berries and dark fruits show up. There’s liqueur-soaked cherries and raisins. There’s a thin leather note and a hint of cinnamon. The cask influence is sort of sitting on top like a lid and it’s not a complex dram, but flavourful nontheless.

Finish: The high ABV shoots off a peppery spicyness before the sherry influence and a honey sweetness comes through. Vanilla is residing in the background together with some raisins and there’s not much of an oakiness, just a touch in the end. It comes through together with the thin leather note. There’s no astringency and basically no bitterness. This is a young and rowdy powerhouse in a nice suit.

Additional information
This expression is aged in sherry-seasoned american oak casks. The casks varies in age. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

Highland Park, Islands

Highland Park 10 YO – Ambassador’s Choice

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first, vanilla and honey covers a base of assorted red berries and a tiny leathery peat note. After a few seconds black liquorice starts to come through. The flavours slowly build up to become very pronounced but nothing more really happens on the nose. It’s laid back from the start but really opens up with time in the glass.

Mouth: It starts out mild, and the first thing to come through is a dusty honey note. Soon after a maltiness comes through together with some fresh red berries and a spicyness finally shows up. The fruitiness gets more pronounced with strawberries and plums. The small peat note is still found, but it’s sitting a long way back. There’s also a salty note somewhere in the middle of the palate.

Finish: A mix of the leathery peat note and dark fruits flare up. Now it’s ripe plums and raisins and they are accompanied by honey and vanilla. It takes a while for the oak to come through, and when it does it’s quite discreet. It’s sitting underneath the peat note and the dark fruits a long way down the line. It’s a nutty oakiness with hazelnuts. It’s juicy and there’s no astringency. The finish is without question the best part. This is a good solid whisky, but a bit muted and uneventful overall.

Additional information
The Ambassador’s Choice was originally only released in Sweden. It’s aged for 10 years in a mix of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks made out of american oak.

Highland Park, Islands

Highland Park Leif Eriksson Release – Limited Edition

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 40 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a thick layer of liqueur soaked cherries, raisins and ripe red apples. In the back there are notes of rye, vanilla and toasted almonds. After a few seconds a brighter layer of green fruits appear and sort of rests on top of the sweeter, darker base. There’s also milk chocolate present somewhere in the middle. It’s very mild and very approachable.

Mouth: It’s a very watery start and it takes a while before a gentle black pepper spicyness and some vanilla notes finally show up. It feels a bit underaged and it’s not as fruity and pleasant as on the nose. Gets a little dry when hints of the oak arrives together with and a tiny leather peatiness. There are small notes of green apples and pears and a small pinch of salt. It feels a bit muted overall.

Finish: The mild black pepper, which is quite nice, is dominating the first part of the finish. A small bitterness sits behind with some assorted fruits and a small hint of dry earthy peatiness. The whole thing moves quite quickly towards a bright, very welcoming oakiness. The toasted almonds return and some salted caramel suddenly show up in the late finish. It then ends with a dry, nutty finish. This really lacks some power, but it’s a very easy whisky to get aquainted with.

Additional information
The Leif Eriksson was released in 2011 as a travel retail exclusive. It’s aged in a combination of american ex-bourbon barrels and ex-sherry casks made from american oak.