Highland Park 15 Year

Nose is a lot of oak and a hint of smoke, some citrus after a few sniffies. Drinks very easily, without almost any lingering taste. Great as avec with my coffee, coats the inside of your moth with the taste of grandpa's wooden desk drawer, but it quickly goes away to be forgotten. Nice, but forgettable

Mild med god smak, små inslag av trä med vit choklad och toffe. Oljar munnen fint men ganska intetsägande

Sweet and easy. Very forgiveable

Up until now, all of my encounters with Highland Park have been post-Viking re-branding. The latter is pretty cool, but also kind of goofy. Anyway, in this review I'll turn back the clocks and dive into an HP expression that was dropped altogether. Before it was discontinued, HP had bumped this one up from a 40% to a 43%. This is one sits at 43. Nose: When I first cracked it, the peat was undetectable. However, upon comparing it to two unpeated sherry cask malts, the peat was clear as day. At this I'd call it a subtle peat aroma, emphasis on the subtle. The most prominent notes are lime and vanilla. Some honey. Beyond that, it's floral, grassy, leafy, and reminiscent of orchard fruits. This is one is rounded of by some sherry sweetness and a light oakiness. Very nice; just which it was a hair more potent. A couple years later and I’m back with a fresh bottle. I’m adding lime, orange, and plum. Palate: Heavy vanilla, followed by plum, orange peel, and lime. It's a combination of sherry and citrus notes. These are complimented by light salt, smoke, and oak spice. A very mild cinnamon kick at the end. Walnut and caramel. Surprisingly oily and leathery. Delicious. Finish: Short to moderate. Cinnamon and oak spice before fading into sherry sweetness. All in all, I'm glad to have found one of these. The last in the store, and the first I'd ever seen on the shelf. 4 for this one. It's incredibly enjoyable and is great as a sipper or as a background whisky. A lot to love here. This one just hits all the right notes. Say what you will about the marketing, I'm here for the whisky. Call it the 'HP 15 Viking Soul' and dress it up in over-the-top Nordic packaging; if this one makes a return, I'll be first in line.

I don't like smoke in my whiskeys but this made me love it. It manages to complement the beginning sweetness and cleanse the pallet with earthy smoke for the next sip. This is my favorite dram so far!

sharp

Purchased on 4/9/18. Bottle killed on 4/11/19. Highland Park OB 15 years old 43% ABV Bottled 2014 Price: 90 USD The shy middle child of Highland Park’s once respected core range, this whisky is for those who appreciate soft, subtle single malts. It’s very floral and sweet initially, but there’s a rugged maritime edge as well. Lightly spicy and lightly smoky, you will find the 15 year less bold than the precocious 12 year old; and less robust than the lovely 18 year old. A failure to stand out is probably why this was the first of the three to be discontinued. This is a fine dram, but a passive one at that. It is more refined than the 12 year old, but not necessarily better. And at almost twice the price, that’s a problem. I will make sure I have at least one of the recently discontinued bottlings of the 12 and 18 year olds stashed away, but I will pass on re-purchasing this 15. Rating (price not factored): 85 / 100 Purchase satisfaction (price factored): 3 / 5