Highland Park 13 year old 2004 SMWS 4.249

(Highland Park cluster homepage)  

I return, momentarily, to the high strength sherried Highland Park fad, with a botting from SMWS. It's sort of a cousin of the swollen duo I reviewed two weeks ago, except this time the HP is from a refill oloroso butt. The review will be conducted backwards again, with the highest dilution first and the uncut version last, that way I don't torch my face too early.

Distillery: Highland Park

Ownership: The Edrington Group

Region: Islands (Orkney)

Independent Bottler: Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Age: 13 years (31 May 2004 - 2018)

Maturation: refill Oloroso sherry butt

Cask#: 4.249
Outturn: 592 bottles

Cask "name": The mermaid marmalade
Alcohol by Volume: 64.6%

(from a bottle split)

DILUTED TO 43%abv

The nose is remarkably hot for the abv. I get burnt bark and burnt leaves, then ocean air, vanilla and toffee. The palate starts with ash, charred veg, charred meat, burnt nuts and bitter oak. After 30 minutes some plum candy appears, lifting the palate a bit. It finishes with smoke, salt, maybe some limes and a lot of the burnt stuff.

Not great, Bob! It's fierce, but it's also one of the more carcinogenic-tasting things I've ever sipped. Perhaps the mermaid scalded the hell out of the fruits?

DILUTED TO 57%abv (100 UK proof)

At first the nose is all seashells, cinnamon, hay and a whiff of peat smoke......but mostly the burnt stuff, again. It gains notes of rope and dried currants after 30+ minutes. Meanwhile, the palate is more interesting than the nose. It's more herbal and quite smoky. There's some anise and smoked almonds. Lots of salt throughout. It finishes with heat, hay, dark chocolate and tangy smoke.

It's much better here on the palate, but the nose still has that scorched planet note that would work if anything offset it or balanced it out. But nothing does. Yet it does drink much better than the 43%abv version.

FULL STRENGTH, 64.6%abv

There's a considerable ocean/coastal presence in the nose. Is that supposed to be "The mermaid"? But there's also dark chocolate that fades into brownies, with time. Then some farmy peat and grape jam. The palate is hot, tangy, salty and as aggressive as one would expect. Some dried herbs and bitter veg drift through the background, but not much else. The finish is hot, tangy and loaded with ground black pepper.

Great nose! The palate......needs some water?

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This is what I like to call Late-Imperialist Whisky; it tries to conquer through nothing but lumbering violence. Actually, I just made that term up. Steal it if it works!

This style of whisky was definitely not designed with my sort of palate in mind. So there will be folks who find it A-MAY-ZING, but I find it kinda hot-meh. (I'm quite the wordsmith tonight.) I think it's at its best in the full strength nose, but the palate works better with a little bit of water. But be careful with that water, because things may get ugly. The coastal notes in the nose help keep this Highland Park's score out of the 70s.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - originally £61

Rating - 81

Highland Park 18 year old 1999 Gordon & MacPhail, cask 4256

(Highland Park cluster homepage)  

This is the third bourbon cask Highland Park from Gordon & MacPhail I'm reviewing this week, but it's not the last one in the cluster--

Okay, I'll just spoil things. I normally don't knock out all 2oz of a sample in one sitting, but it was a goddamned fuckin' day, and this whisky was perfect for a goddamned fuckin' day. No, not the sort of whisky to get shitty with, or with which to get shitty, but a whisky that hits every note right. Let's get to it, and if you bought a bottle of this, congratulations. May you open it on a goddamned fuckin' day.

Distillery: Highland Park

Ownership: The Edrington Group

Region: Islands (Orkney)

Independent Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail

Range: Connoisseurs Choice Cask Strength

Age: 18 years old (30 Aug 1999 - 18 May 2018)

Maturation: 1st fill bourbon barrel
Cask number: 4256

Outturn: 177 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 53.6%
(from a purchased sample)

NOTES

Apricots, white nectarines, honey and a moment of light smoke start the nose and......just stay there for a good 20 minutes. Then comes a hint of mango, a whisper of musty oak, roses, apple skins and wet grasses. Diluted to 46%abv it's all fruit, flowers, broken stones and soil.

The palate begins with a grassy, almost floral, smoke. Peaches and yellow plums. Hints of bandages and sea salt. Then it slowly develops a bright bitterness, and note of smoky grilled chiles. When reduced to 46%abv, the whisky becomes intensely mineral, which I didn't realize was a thing until now. It's a bit earthy and bitter, with hints of roses and vanilla beans, and lots of tart limes.

Tart lemons join floral peaches in a finish that has a long dusty, briny, smoky fade out. At 46%abv, there's earth, stone and bitterness to go with a splash of peach juice.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Because I'm a Gen Xer I feel like this is the place to throw a GIF or a meme or ironic emoji. But I'll save all of those for other reviews. One may find a more complex Highland Park (likely with a higher age statement), but this is precise, graceful whisky selected and bottled at the perfect strength. It motivates me to continue this cluster.

Availability - Probably sold out
Pricing - it was €130-€140 maybe?

Rating - 90

Highland Park 17 year old 2001 Gordon & MacPhail, cask 3004

(Highland Park cluster homepage)  

I rarely have the opportunity to this but......here's a cask that's a true sibling to that of my previous review. Monday's 10yo, cask 2998, was distilled on the 16th of October 2001. Today's 17yo, cask 3004, was distilled on the 16th of October 2001. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens after another seven years of maturation in G&M's warehouses. During those seven years, the old Cask Strength range was rebranded/replaced by the Connoisseurs Choice Cask Strength series, which is essentially the same thing but with different packaging and higher prices. So it goes.

Distillery: Highland Park

Ownership: The Edrington Group

Region: Islands (Orkney)

Independent Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail

Range: Connoisseurs Choice Cask Strength

Age: 17 years old (16 Oct 2001 - 10 Sept 2019)

Maturation: 1st fill bourbon barrel
Cask number: 3004

Outturn: 174 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 56.5%
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

This one feels heftier than the 10yo from the start. The nose leads with toasted oak and citronella up front, with hints of farm and burning tires in the background. Almond notes come and go. The fruits (apricots and kiwis) appear later. The nose shifts a bit at 46%abv. It gets a little coastal, and the smoke reads more like burning plastic. But cardamom and marzipan are the main notes.

There's a definite link between this 17yo and the 10yo in the palate. Herbs stay in the front, and the sage tilts more towards the dried stuff than smudge. Plenty of bitter citrus peel up front, with salt and almond extract in the back. It gets smokier with time. An aggressive bitterness swoops in once the whisky is reduced to 46%abv, clouding out everything else aside from bits of sugar and vanilla.

The smoke reads loudest in the finish. There are also plenty of dried savory herbs, salt and pepper. At 46%abv, the finish becomes short and a little weird with a mix of vanilla and veg.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Compared to the 10 year old, the 17's oak does read a little louder, but it doesn't take over. This whisky doesn't dilute as well as the 10, and the finish doesn't totally work. It is bitterer and smokier overall, though, which is a big plus for those who prefer spirits like that. Though I'm in that club, I'd take the 10 over this.

Availability - ???
Pricing - €130-€160

Rating - 85

Highland Park 10 year old 2001 Gordon & MacPhail, cask 2998

(Highland Park cluster homepage) 

Gordon & MacPhail, grandpa of independent whisky bottling, is one of the few bottlers who are still allowed to call their Highland Park releases "Highland Park," so we don't have all half-assedly guess about G&M Orkney single casks. Yet.

I've enjoyed G&M's Highland Park releases because they're often bourbon cask matured, an under-appreciated style of Kirkwall's finest. As noted last week, most of the big bucks are spent on dark sherry cask Highland Park. There will be a mix of sherry and bourbon cask HPs for the rest of this cluster, but this week brings me three first-fill bourbon barrel whiskies. First, I have a relative youngster from the retired Cask Strength series...

Distillery: Highland Park

Ownership: The Edrington Group

Region: Islands (Orkney)

Independent Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail

Range: Cask Strength

Age: 10 years old (16 Oct 2001 - 13 Sept 2012)

Maturation: 1st fill bourbon barrel
Cask number: 2998

Alcohol by Volume: 57.7%
(thank you to My Annoying Opinions for the sample!)

NOTES

Lots of barley, apples and hay on the nose. Horse whisky! Lemon zest, wildflowers and kiwi juice in the midground, a hint of vanilla marshmallows in the background. Interesting......after 20 minutes I smell a horse barn. Reduced to 46%abv, the whisky holds onto the barn note, while swapping out the lemon zest for lime zest. Toasted grains and apple cider appear next, along with a hint of Play-Doh.

Sage smudge and herbal bitterness hits the palate first. Then salt, limes and lots of minerals. Down at 46%abv, the whisky gains some savory smoke, fresher herbs, barley and a hint of cucumber skin.

It finishes with salt, barley, soil and lots of dried herbs. At 46%abv, it finishes with the savory smoke, herbs and a pinch of pepper.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Though you may not see dozens of individual notes or florid adjectives above, I really enjoyed this Highland Park. Rustic and lean with just a touch of oak, it shows HP youth in all the right ways. It also dilutes well, and can be dropped closer to 40%abv without much of a problem. If you enjoy this style, keep an eye out for this cask if it ever hits the secondary markets.

Availability - ???
Pricing - ???

Rating - 87

Highland Park 16 year old 2003, single cask 1885 for The Whisky Exchange

(Highland Park cluster homepage)

The first two official Highland Park single casks of this cluster-within-a-cluster were 12 years old. This one from TWE, at sixteen years, is one of the oldest of the 220+ single casks that the distillery has dropped in the past three years. Those extra four years has helped bring its alcohol content down from murderous levels to something more familiar. Like the previous two HPs — and the majority of these official casks — this sherry cask was fashioned from "European" oak.

Distillery: Highland Park

Ownership: The Edrington Group

Region: Islands (Orkney)

Age: 16 years (2003-2019)

Maturation: first-fill European oak sherry butt

Cask #: 1885

Outturn: 585 bottles

Exclusive to: The Whisky Exchange

Alcohol by Volume: 58.9%
(from a bottle split)

DILUTED TO 43%abv

The nose is reminiscent of the old Glendronach 15 year old Revival (when it was older than 15 years old), but with much more peat. Dates, figs, fresh basil, toffee and molasses fill it all out.

The palate matches the nose nicely. It reads much heavier and richer than 43%abv. There are tart oranges, dates and figs in the foreground. Molasses and black coffee in the background.

It finishes with black coffee, dark chocolate and figs.

DILUTED TO 50%abv

Dried currants and almonds in dark chocolate, hints of tar, musty basement and toasted pecans in the nose.

Black coffee and mint leaves lead the palate with a little bit of dried currants and smoke in the background. It develops notes of soil and tangy fresh berries with time.

The long, tingly finish is an assortment of dried berries coated in cocoa powder.

FULL STRENGTH, 58.9%abv

The nose has dried cherries, dried cranberries, honeydew and wood smoke. It gets figgier with time, while also gaining molasses and eel sauce.

The palate has tart berries, tart citrus, tar and tobacco ash at the start. Fresh cherries show up later.

It finish pulls in the sweet and tart fruits from the palate and nose.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

I think this sherry bomb's character is what people hope for when they buy a bottle of any of the Highland Park single casks. Big and rich, it fills the senses like few sherry cask whiskies have lately. The bits of smoke and citrus, and its ability to shine when diluted, set it apart from other aggressive-yet-generic sherry bombs. Its price is still hot bananas, but at least the whisky's great.

Availability - The Whisky Exchange
Pricing - £199.99

Rating - 89

Highland Park 12 year old, single cask 5036 for K&L Wine Merchants

(Highland Park cluster homepage)

In Monday's intro to this cluster-within-a-cluster, I noted how Highland Park went big with their current single casks: Big Alcohol Content, Big Color, Big Prices. None of those aspects lure me, but sherried Highland Park is always of interest so I took part in bottle splits of three single casks. Monday was a single European oak butt for Bevmo, today it's a single European oak hoggie for K&L.

Distillery: Highland Park

Ownership: The Edrington Group

Region: Islands (Orkney)

Age: 12 years (2006-2019)

Maturation: first fill European oak hogshead

Cask #: 5036

Outturn: 292 bottles

Exclusive to: K&L Wine Merchants

Alcohol by Volume: 66.0%
(from a bottle split)

As with Monday's HP, I'm tasting backwards, approaching diluted levels first.

DILUTED TO 43%abv

No sulfur on the nose this time. Not much in the way of smoke either. It's mostly almonds, walnuts and dunnage.

The palate leans heavily on nutty sherry casks. It's a little acidic, a little sweet (dates!) and has a touch of woody bitterness in the background.

It finishes with dates, salt, pepper and tannins.

The good news is this HP doesn't go extra ugly at this strength. The bad news is that this whisky feels over-diluted at 43%abv. I like the date notes though.

DILUTED TO 57%abv (100 UK proof)

I get this bold cherimoya note on the nose. (I'm no cherimoya expert, as I've tried the fruit all of three times, but I highly recommend tracking one down; it's definitely......something.) There are also nectarines, almond extract, blackberry syrup and some toasted oak. A few root beer barrel candies in the background.

The mighty alcohol note registers early in the palate. Lots of sherry going on here, and a slight industrial note that makes it feel a little old school. Smoke, cassis and tart nectarines float through the mid- and background.

The sherry note gets fruitier in the finish, while also holding onto those tart nectarines.

At this strength it's in much better shape, a real sherry monster. Though the palate is short on nuance, the nose is a lot of fun. Time to try it at...

FULL STRENGTH, 66.0%abv

The nose is all vanilla, banana and varnish at first. Needs air, the whisky and the drinker. Ah, it does pick up almond extract, fudge and fresh stone fruit after a while.

On the other hand, the palate is approachable. It has a moderate berry sweetness, salt and raw walnuts. The oak offers more spice than bitterness.

It finishes tart, gingery and salty with a whiff of toasted oak.

I lived to type another review! Again the nose proves more interesting than the palate, which is likely due to such an aggressive cask.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This was without a doubt a cleaner and more reliable cask than Monday's. It requires dilution, though it may work better in the 50-55% range than my experimental levels. I still think the aggressive oak and extra high ABV don't do the whisky a lot of favors as those factors seem to suppress the spirit's character, but some fans of sherry cask whisky will likely enjoy this Highland Park more than I do.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - $160

Rating - 84

Highland Park 12 year old, single cask 6737 for BevMo

(Highland Park cluster homepage)

One of my many complaints in my Full Volume Highland Park Rant post was that the distillery had discontinued its program of offering exclusive single casks. And wouldn't you know it, mere weeks later a new exclusive Highland Park single cask program began! Just like Jim Murray, I will say that it was 100% my doing, and you're welcome. Unlike Jim Murray, I will not compare them to an imaginary girlfriend's soiled undergarments in Barcelona.

Most single distilleries have a barreling/filling strength of 63.5%abv. Highland Park goes with 69.5%abv. That explains the ultra high ABVs on these single casks, and the extractive nature of that strength probably has something to do with the dark color of these releases.

Scotch whisky that punches in higher than 63%abv (or even 60%abv) tends to clash with my palate. And I'm not always quick to chase coffee-dark whiskies, as they're often massively tannic. But the main thing that has kept me from buying a bottle of one of these single casks is......you guessed it! The price. Here in America (aka Democracy Central) these ~12 year old whiskies are priced at $160-$200. And I have no idea why I (or anyone) should pay that amount. These are not one-offs; more than 220 of these casks have hit the market as of the date of this post.

Anyhoo, I have friends and acquaintances who feel otherwise, and they have bought a bottle or two. (Though I don't know anyone who has dropped $200 on the Ohio-exclusive cask.) And because I don't want to miss out on all the fun, I participated in three bottle splits.

I'll start with the BevMo single cask.

Distillery: Highland Park

Ownership: The Edrington Group

Region: Islands (Orkney)

Age: 12 years (2004-2017)

Maturation: first fill European sherry butt

Cask #: 6737

Outturn: 360 bottles (cask split?)

Exclusive to: BevMo

Alcohol by Volume: 65.3%
(from a bottle split)

I'm going to conduct this tasting backwards, trying the whisky at lower/diluted strengths before digging into the full strength version.

DILUTED TO 43%abv

Hello nose, hello sulfur. Hello lots of sulfur. A little bit of farm, plenty of berry candy and hot fudge. The sulfur fades a bit, but the rest remains.

The palate is grassy, gingery and very very sweet. Some pencil lead and prunes stand out. But it's mostly sulfur.

It's all sulfur, sugar and prunes in the finish.

It's actually impressive how much sulfur can be squeezed into a 43%abv whisky. For a Highland Park, this stinks in more ways than one. Long time readers (do you exist?) know I kinda like a bit of dirty cask here and there, but this one...whew.

DILUTED TO 57%abv (100 UK proof)

There's much less sulfur on the nose. More more fruits (limes and plums) and more chocolate. A good blop of black strap molasses.

Some actual peat appears in the palate, along with prunes, rock salt and a hint of oranges. The sulfur registers louder here than in the nose.

The finish goes flat with salt, pepper, sugar and sulfur.

It's an improvement over the 43%abv version, but not something I'd recommend to anyone, especially not to Highland Park fans.

FULL STRENGTH, 65.3%abv

The nose is tight but not too hot. I smell a fruitcake loaded with cherries, as well as fruity cinnamon and chocolate. The sulfur emerges after some time, as does a raisin note.

The sulfur is most palatable here on the cask strength palate. And it's drinkable though tight, again. Salty and savory, the flavor is boosted with hints of tart citrus and sweet pineapple.

It finishes with bigger notes of salt and pineapple, smaller notes of smoke and sulfur.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but don't add water.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

I find it interesting that Highland Park is happy to put their name on this whisky, but not okay with allowing their name on the labels of scores of potentially excellent independent casks. This whisky does not help the brand in any way. Though sulfur-phobes may disagree, this whisky isn't a complete disaster. But it's also not on-brand in its style, and it would PISS ME OFF if I paid $150+ for it. Highland Park puts out great whisky consistently, like few brands do. This is not great whisky.

Availability - Sold out?
Pricing - $150-$160

Rating - 79 (again, don't add water)