🥃 Whisky Auctioneer

I was invited to join 2 good friends to a Highland Park Winter BBQ fest on the 28th of January 2024 where we enjoyed quite some good food, cocktails and of course Highland Park! hot, red fruit, light peachy

Light amber color. Oily structure.

Aroma-Moderate；Palate-86/100; Aftertaste-Medium ；

Robust & Intense is the name of Highland Park's now annual cask strength releases. The releases differ slightly in their composition. This year there is also a small proportion of ex-Port Casks. There is no exact information, there is nothing on the bottle anyway, the information about the barrels can be found on the website. There is also no indication of age, but the high alcohol content suggests that Angel's Share has been around for a few years. The previous two editions were ok, but not great. glen-efze.de

S 7.5 64.5% is a very high strength for Scotch, as many malt distilleries fill their casks at 63.5% in the first place, and the alcohol level generally only goes down due to the geographic condition. Sweeter and has less floral peat than the usual HP that I enjoy, it's quaffable but IMO not very HP, and reminds me of the debatable Fire edition. Water reduces the intensity while allowing the floral and slightly savoury note to shine from behind. 81-85 - Another dram welcomed

> Final review: I’d been wanting to try one of these Highland Park CS batches for a while, since it’s probably the most recommended Highland Park around places like this sub. For some reason, this particular bottling is surprisingly hard to find in Europe, so in a moment of pure FOMO, when I saw that the most praised batch (Batch 4) was going for nearly double its original price, I jumped on it. Don’t be like me… It’s an amazing whisky, no doubt, but it’s absolutely not a €100+ whisky. Not even close. Anyway, let’s get into it: Nose: Woody, toasted, honeyed, sappy, vegetal, fruity, nutty, funky, sweet. Incredible wood complexity right off the bat (cedarwood, tea tree oil). Very sappy too, like the greenest oak imaginable, freshly cut, with hints of maple syrup. There’s also a strong vegetal side, almost like a grilled vegetable platter: boiled carrots, roasted eggplant, grilled tomato. Loads of sweet chocolate and honey (LOTS of honey), plus a touch of coffee beans. Fruit-wise, mostly peaches. Then dry leaves, burnt toffee, mushrooms with a slight funk, bitter almonds, roasted pistachios, smoked lemon peel, orange blossom essence. As you dig deeper, the intensity of the vanilla backbone becomes more and more apparent, supporting everything else. And of course, the monstrous ABV amplifies even the smallest details, pushing the complexity to a level that would otherwise go unnoticed. Palate: Very bittersweet, spicy and woody, but also toasted, chocolaty, honeyed, vegetal, fruity, nutty, slightly perfumy. Tons of dark chocolate (bitter cocoa), organic toffee, creamy honey (LOTS of honey) and a PX-like sweetness (sultanas and honey), followed again by a huge wave of sappy, vegetal, woody complexity: bay leaves, roasted zucchini, fresh twigs, sawdust, astringent grape skins, sandalwood… and more. Extremely spicy, with clove, cinnamon, chili, etc. Fruits show up again, mostly unripe peach and candied orange. Chocolate-covered pistachios, coffee ice cream, vegetal vanilla. Touches of heathery peat, perfume (orange blossom), and a bit of lemon juice. Very creamy texture overall. Finish: Very woody and astringent, slightly less sweet than the palate, but still quite sweet. Lots of woody oils, reminiscent of essential oils like cedarwood and tea tree again. Raisins, chocolate, burnt toffee, tobacco, hazelnuts, mixed with vegetal notes like tomato leaves and orange leaves. The finish gives away its youth: it’s relatively short and nowhere near as interesting as the nose and palate. A very spicy, bittersweet, woody, honeyed, vegetal, chocolaty, floral and fruity sherry bomb. The port casks actually add something quite interesting here: extra chocolatey, fruity, sweet layers that I really enjoyed. It’s cohesive, intense and definitely has some distillery character. Interestingly, the peat shows up mostly as delicious honeyed notes. Also worth mentioning: this is basically two different whiskies in one bottle. One neat (or with just a few drops of water), and a completely different one when diluted down to ~50% or even lower. When I first opened it, I actually preferred it diluted. Now that I’m finishing the bottle, I enjoy it much more (almost) neat. This review is based on the undiluted version, but honestly, it could deserve a second full review just for the diluted one. I’ll spare myself the madness. Still, I really wish more whiskies were bottled at these insane ABVs. They’re something else, and a lot of fun to play with. Downsides: This clearly feels like a product of a very current trend: masking youth with very active casks (similar to Kilchoman Sanaig CS, for example). The problem is, you can’t even say it needs more time in wood, because more time would likely make it even more over-oaked. This youth really shows in the finish, so they are not deceiving anyone. It’s also very spicy, not quite at the level of Aberlour A'Bunadh, but getting close. And those very active casks do partially overshadow the distillate, which is a shame. That said, aside from those minor complaints, this bottle is absolutely fantastic. Fully recommended if you’re into CS sherry bombs and/or the Highland Park style. Just don’t pay as much as I did.

The name describes this whisky well. On the other hand, it lacks complexity and finesse. The taste is distinct. Lots of fruit, chocolate and a lot of wood. There is a lot of sherry in the aroma, but unfortunately the alcohol also stands out a lot. If you need something that will knock you out of your shoes, this could be it. If you need a relaxing whisky or a daily drum, this is not it.

I admit that out of all 5 batches of both barrels, this version is the best. This is how I imagine an HP barrel. It has everything a real HP should have with a funky salt on top. Well done!

Highland Park Cask Strength Batch 4, 64.3% alc. Aged in sherry and refill casks Nose: Salted caramel, toffee and biscuits with chocolate chips, followed by more floral and fruity aromas. Kiwi, grapefruit, apples and mountain peaches, I also find dandelion, walnuts and children's liquorice. Palate: Salted caramel and fruit aromas, ripe apples, oranges, sugar beets and various nuts. Plus raisins, cinnamon, a hint of pepper and marzipan. Finish: Long, intense and warming. Aromatic as on the palate, the peat smoke is now more prominent and envelops everything pleasantly. Conclusion: I rarely recommend it, but with this Highland Park you should leave a little space in the glass for a few drops of water. Then it opens up in many ways and remains strong at the same time. 85/100 points (2024)

Very good for its price, surprising nose, surprising performance. Light roasted notes have caught a nice harmony with sweet "pastry" notes. Tasteful whisky. We don't see much change with water, except for a little extra opening. Price performance: Good - Very good Would I buy it again?: If I had a spare liver I'd say I liked it enough to buy it, it's amazing.