Tastes

This age of the Highland Park is my least favorite. I have had it like it is here as well as the 15 year old Loki version. I find it to be very offensive to both the nose and the palate. The nose is smoky and sharp while the taste is peaty and can I say bourbony? I know not a word but cheap bourbony that bites at your tongue while lashing with fumes at your nose. Definitely not my favorite HP but I maybe harsh because IT IS an HP and I expect something else.

I have only had this once and a long time ago. My memory is that I didn't like this as much as the 12 or the 21 but more than the 15.

This is my go to scotch. The 12 year old is the perfect balance between price and taste. The HP12 has a rounded and full nose like vanilla. The taste is only a little smoky and peaty and very like dried fruit. It has no bite which is rare in a 12 year old and reminiscent of a 20+ year old whiskey. The finish is long and warm leaving you waiting for your next sip. This is also one of the few that I do not put in the freezer before drinking. (I hate watered down liquor and so I use the freezer instead of ice)

Warm and reminiscent of dried apricots on the nose. Smoky with hints of oak and fruit leather with the wonderfully full body of a long aged liquor. This is followed by a warm and very long finish. Now comes the bad part. Some say it is earthy. Kind of like truffles are earthy. I couldn't get over the thought that I was tasting moldy wood barrels. This is definitely worth about $100 if it didn't have that aftertaste. Not worth the kind of money being asked now a days. too many whiskeys out there that are much better in this price range.