🥃 Whisky Auctioneer

This is the result of an HP tasting yesterday:- 1st -highland-park-30-year-old 48.1% 2nd - highland-park-30-year-old 45.7% 3rd highland-park-25-year-old 48.1% 4th - highland-park-25-year-old 45.7% 5th - highland-park-18-year-old 43% 6th - highland-park-21-year-old 47.5% The 30 year 48.1% is the best but there is little between the 25 year and 30 year offerings.   The 18 year is good and better value than the 21 year.

So beautiful! Just as good as the 30 YO.

needs a drop of water to open - especially on the palate

Powerful and rich nose. Fruit-honey, chocolate-nut, leather and a little smoke on the background. Sweet and sherry, pepper, spices, honey, chocolate brownie, fruit in syrup, velvet, long, luxurious finish. Major League. 24-23-23-23

Oh, nice whisky!Highland Park pleased once again.

In comparison with the version 45.7% version that was bottled from 2012 onwards, this is deeper, darker, more heavily sherried, and more palpably influenced by European oak. Quality-wise, the two bottlings play in the same league, though. It depends on your personal preference which one (if any) you prefer. I like them both equally well – the older bottling may be richer and more satisfying on the palate, but the newer one boasts a more interesting nose.

86-90 – Wow, really good one, need a bottle

Jammy, rich, fruity, gently smoky, nutty. Excellent Highland Park.

Aroma：Intense；Palate：91/100; Aftertaste：Long.

Wonderful clearly recognizable Highland Park. This is spicier, smokier, has more heather and overall appears even more voluminous on the tongue than the following vintages (WB73617) - which are even more delicate and more on the sweeter than spicy-herbal-smoky side. The even higher alcohol strength certainly helps with this one, and overall I like it a little better on the palate than the successors.

Nice dram, maybe a bit too sweet. I would have expected something more from such an old age OB bottling of this extraordinary distillery

Good high standard. Only works a little softened and occasionally the alcohol is not very well integrated.

Aroma: A touch of aromatic smoke, fruity, citrus, fresh and dried fruits, sweet, some vanilla and oak. Taste: Sweet-spicy-fruity, some smoke, honey, citrus fruits, spices, oak. With a little water: fruitier, softer and sweeter. Departure: Soft and very balanced, sweet-tart, light oak notes in the background, not bitter, delicately smoky, medium-long finish. Yummy. Conclusion: very pleasing, dangerously tasty but also very expensive, not quite up to high expectations given the price…

Highland Park 25yo is a terrifically complex, rich, woody, sherried dram. It seems as if this release will be the last at cask strength as the company is running low on stocks. Whisky Bible Awards 2012: Best 22-27 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky of the Year (multiple casks)

Notes of soft peat and wood with oaked tannins. There is a thick honey in presence with notes of menthol, walnut and a herbal quality: fennel and grass. The palate is quite full with toffee and supple peat. A touch of winter spice develops with notes of oaky tannins to chew. The finish is warm and fiery with notes of spicy oak.

Fabulous malt! Juicy oranges, candied fruits, has a somewhat "cold" mouthfeel, just a little peat, long, delicately bitter finish. If the 30 is really even better, it must be a really great whisky. Unfortunately, it's hardly affordable anymore these days.

Tasted at 1920's Blenders A bottling that shows me the most beautiful sides of our wonderful hobby and is incredibly fun.

Tasting Notes Appearance:Natural colour; dark red golden, clear and brightNose:Very rich, mature oak; chocolate; fudgePalate:Full, rich burst of flavour; soft honey; nutty toffeeFinish:Rich, long and surprisingly sweet for its ageAdd a drop of water to Highland Park 25 Year Old and enjoy an immense vanilla sensation with the characteristic honey sweetness developing into complex aromas of white chocolate, cinnamon, nuts and dark fruit. The finish is at once intensely sweet and gently smoky and goes on and on. http://www.highlandpark.co.uk/the-tasting-room/core-expressions/25-year-old

A dram that is enjoyed with delight from beginning to end. It's good, it's sweet, complex, very subtle and very fine. A delight. But unfortunately much too expensive for a whisky of this age.

Bold statement here.....after several comparisons over the years, I still enjoy the 18 much more.  C'est la vie!

An excellent release from HP. The packaging is a little flimsy for such a heavy bottle which might explain the hamster coffin of the 2012 version that uses the same bottle shape. Tasted against the 2012 version (91pts) several times. I liked this one enough to buy a second bottle for the archive.

Transferring previous Note (2012.01.02) content into a Tasting Note.

The aroma is a reference sherry extract, a holiday for receptors. Consistent, balanced to the smallest detail on the supersensitive scales of whisky.

Oak, sherry, and light peat. A deadly combination. Very viscous and mouth coating for its age. The flavors are bold and yet elegant:

Nose: much more mellow and elegant, sweeter and less intense than Earl Haakon nose (were tasted together). Apples stewed in honey. Vanilla. Grapes. Sea. Chocolate. Oak. Just gorgeous. Everything is wonderfully integrated, the nose is changing while you smell it, later on some smoked pear and fruit firewood appear. It's closer to standard HP line-up if we can say so. Taste: not so wild as in Haakon, but we have more salt and pepper here. Distinct oak. Finish: eternally long, vibrant, peppery, spicy and dry. Some chocolate also. Let me quote Gerry Tosh: "... make a sip, the front of your tongue should go on fire. Then your lips might tingle. You might even lose feeling in your fingers and toes :) don't worry, bear with it, fight with it, when this tingling sensation begins to subside your mough will dry and will stay dry for a very long time... and after a good minute your mouth will naturally recover getting moisture back" Overall: body in HP 25 is less dense than in Haakon, but nose and aftertaste beat the viking. I don't know if that means anything, but during tasting I poured Haakon only once and HP 25 was poured 3 times. Very seducing and dangerously drinkable whisky, you should settle some personal limits when taking this bottle out of shelf! Score: 24 22.5 24 23.5, 94/100!

subtle smoke combined with spicy, nutty aromas, some leather, well-integrated pepperiness, and a few red fruits. oily mouthfeel, long finish

Super nose. Mouth a little too unbalanced by the wood (but it's really the only fault that I can find this whisky).

very good, a little worse than the old versions

Pure elegance in the nose. Sweet sherry, absolutely no stinging - a bit of caramel, butter, raisins, a touch of vanilla and nougat. Delicious on the palate, thick sherry, chocolate - at least 80% cocoa - ripe citrus fruits, brown sugar ... reminds a bit of an old, ripe rum. Very elegant on the palate - absolutely no burning - nothing - zero point zero - the thing works down like butter, nutella, nuts, raisins, .... very nice ... The finish is medium in length, very balanced, no burning - somehow reminds me of hazelnut schnapps ..? Sweet stop. On the cheeks thick syrup, sweet sherry, chocolate, raisins, vanilla ice cream ... Overall, very consistent. Absolutely top in terms of balance. The 25 years barrel have done a great job here. The HP25 comes sweet and in perfectly coordinated Sherry influence, therefore, without the whole mutated to oak cargo! That's what an old well-balanced whisky should taste like. Well - the price of course pushes the mood - but I personally bought this baby for 160 € - and that in 2011 ... For 500 € you have to know if you have to have this good whisky ... He is very good! PLV everyone has to decide for themselves ...!? I have rarely experienced such a harmonious and elegant dram ... Really great!

If it wasn't for that peppery thing on the taste as well as the gentle peaty notes, this wouldn't have been that famous as a 25yo bottling at all.

The smell is complex and pleasant and invites you to try it immediately. In the mouth he keeps his promise with complex impressions and a gentle interplay of harsh and sweet notes. The finish can not quite keep up with the nose and mouth, but fits in harmoniously. A very nice whisky that plays rather quiet tones, no note is loud and intrusive, but whoever listens well will be rewarded. A whisky that never gets boring.

Old sherried, Orkney taste. Well made.

The nose was quite closed and one-dimensional when initially poured, but 5 minutes in the glass and a bit of hand warming allowed it to open up beautifully. Plenty of fruity notes mixing with honey, oak and a faint whiff of smoke giving a lot of complexity. The addition of water pushed the smoke into the background and accentuated the richly fruity aspects of the nose. Hot and peppery on the palate without water (not something I would usually associate with such an old malt). The addition of water softened it nicely, revealing a dry-ish profile of pepper and peat. Not as complex as the nose promised. Long, spicy finish, but not too much peat smoke. Great nose but lacking a bit of finesse and balance on the palate.

The feeling of old sherry barrel whisky, low alcohol content, obvious flavors of dates, ginger and prunes, easy to drink and delicious~

Superb!

Nose Old things, light peat, leather, grilled meat, weak vanilla, old furniture, spices. Taste Saturated, sweet with a bitter continuation. Leather, peat, truffle, wormwood, peat again. Aftertaste Long, sweet. Spices and leather, medicinal herbs, light peat, nutmeg, smoked meats, gunpowder. Balance Old and full-bodied malt! Legendary release !!!

["Another brick in the wall" tasting session - n°17] Even as far as we can be in this massive lineup, there is absolutely no doubt that this one is a star. The Strathisla would remain the king of this session though, but this one is just splendid. Sometimes, official bottlings can be boringly consensual and unexciting. But sometimes, on rarer occasions, official bottlings can also display the most amazing composition of what truly *makes* a distillery what it is, in a brief moment of "everything in its right place" feeling. This one definitely falls in the later category. Amazing dram. Glad I still got a sample to revisit it in some time. 91+/92-

90.5-91 a work of art

Partial Shirley, but did not completely determine the direction of the wine, the acidity of some cheese was more dry.

It needs a decent amount of time in the glass (1 hour) to develop, but it keeps getting better and better. Beautiful, dark, dry aromas of charcoal, baking cocoa, dried fruit, herbs, and dates. Oily and mouth-filling, though a little less aromatic. The incredibly long finish makes up for it. A dream. On the same level as a 25-year-old Bunna, if not a bit better. But that would require a direct comparison. For €168, I would have stored a case. €500 plus is pretty steep.

Nose: Distinctive sherry aromas, musty attic, moss, apples, fruit pie filling, vanilla biscuit, grapefruit, dried fruit, subtle peat and fruity smoke. Palate: Buttery, a fan of fruit and noble blue cheeses and ham, spices, lemon pie, black tea, nuts, chocolate and tobacco. Aftertaste: the weakest part, a hint of flavour that fades quickly. I'll lower it to 91, only because of the short and unclear finish.

An excellent nose, which unfortunately isn't fully confirmed by the taste. A beautiful, round, truly sensual malt.

Whisky in perfection ... almost. Herbal seasoning Sweet caramel candies and delicious sherry combine in harmony. A malt you don't want to swallow.

sherry casks (I would shoot Oloroso) : Very good whisky. Delicate, drinkable, but with that HP edge. It seems more complex on the nose than on the palate. It's "heavy" in the sense of depth of flavor. The middle doesn't have much time here, as the finish takes over. As if saying, "...you've had your fill, now I'm taking over :)" An incredibly fleshy and characterful whisky on the finish. I recommend giving it a try. Due to limited availability, prices are kept at a "whatever you can afford" level.

An amazing malt with barrels from the good old days. After 30 minutes in the glass, a real explosion of flavor, the 48.1% is perfectly integrated. The sherry portion does not seem overloaded. Even the morning after, the smells are still in the glass. A pleasant sweetness with vanilla notes

Tasting Notes: https://whiskycuse.wordpress.com/2011/02/16/highland-park-25-yo-481vol-ob-ca-2008/

Nose: smoky peat, sultanas, slight orange peel and off-acid fruit. Taste: jammy, sultanas, oily, smoky peat in the mid to late finish, spices, full bodied and not violently exciting, very well balanced. Finishes long with some vanilla cream and spice, very soft but full finish. Perfect for Highland Park, unbeatable.

Appearance: Amber colour Nose: Broom and heather, oak, fruits, sweetness and defenitly strong sherrry, a hint of smoke Mouth: Smooth, elegant Taste: Again heather, sweetnes, cookies, dark chocolate, oak and fruits, sherry, maltiness all very balanced Palate Very long, warm, with sherry, oak and sweetness My most favorite whisky! Strong, balanced, complex!

Most hp expressions are, in general, quite easy to drink. Not as much as a regular Speyside for instance, but still quite accessible for an Island malt. This is a different story altogether. Much heftier, stronger in aromas, more 'adult' than most. Don't take this one lightly and don't drink it if you're new to whisky. Not yet, anyways. Because when you're ready for it, you're in for a treat.

Smell ---------------------- 91 taste--------------------90 End rhyme--------------------90

25 years old, smells sweet and mineral, red berries, becomes sweet and creamy after sip. On the throat there is smokiness, slight dryness and minerality, turning into sourness. The aftertaste is moderate minerality, and again and again medicine.

this is what i expect from a good original bottling: a complex and smooth whisky without any odds.

F

gift sample from a friend

Highland Park 25 Year Old 2010s Edition ABV: 45.7% Cask: Bourbon & First-fill Sherry Casks Nose: Old sherry and peppermint candy. Palate: Red dates. A profile very similar to the 30-year-old, though a touch spicier. Old Highland Park is truly delicious—Edrington really has a keen eye for quality. Score: 91 【Must Try】

nose: deep, sea,，umami，spices honey mouth：woahhhh that floral, heathery honey, damp wood, salted caramel, damp paper, nuttyness finish: mid long, salted caramel,very impresive

Strange. Pretty "mold" on the start. Some minerals. Some hints of "nice" stuff, but pretty humble. Extremely sugarish and sweet palate. Liquor ? Some hints of sherry but somewhere very far... Unpredictable... Finish dominants the taste. Finish is long, strong dark chocolate, mid-light oak, light grass in the end. I am afraid that I have tasted the bottle that has been open for more than 7 years, so this review might be absolutely not accurate. No impression at all. For comparsion,the 30yo (next wb number - 317), is 94 for me.

Wild HP

Easily 91, one of my personal favorite. This one is definitely on par with your crazy expensive HP vintage bottles for much less. When this bottle first opened it got quite a lot of herbal medicinal notes, but those notes faded away significantly in about 2 weeks, and it got much more sherry forward. Revised to 92 after 3 months. Aroma 19 Texture 18 Structure 19 Complexity 18 Finish 18

World class whisky, velvety, strong, smoky - for those special moments

Very happy to open this bottle. Rich Aroma with honey, Chocolate, caramel, fruity and light smoke. Oily in mouth and long sweet finish. A wonderful dram for a Melbourne winter afternoon.

I prefer the 18 year.