Highland Park 21 Year

Sweet & fruitful, a bit of smoke

I wanted my 150th Whisky review to be memorable, so i spent one of my samples for it. I loved highland park 12, i gave it a great score but now i have tasted this 21yo and i have mixed feelings. Bottled at 47.5%abv, with an Auburn, polished Mahogany color. On the nose it is AMAZING. 25/25 points here. After staring those beautiful long legs on the glencairn, i got an strong alcohol note at first, then wet forest, medicinal plants, elegant coffee, hazelnut, prunes, oranges, vanilla cream, toffee, overall an outstanding citric, open pine breeze, a mountain forest aroma. Simply gorgeous. On the palate, it was TOO DAMN POWERFUL and strong. Maybe too much to enjoy it. Absolutely smooth the moment it enters. Then it gets strong macho hot oakyness, with a hint of orange, never expected to be this strong, a lot of character, like a punch in the face; notes of cough syrup, pepper, hint of smoke. Aftertaste is powerful hot and spicy. Medium-long finish, much too strong for a 21 yo. Other notes: Caramel, pepper, strong mint candy. Oranges. Dry brown grasses. Ashes. Very complex and mouth watering. This one won best single malt of 2009 on the World Whiskies Awards, but it is not for me. I know many will enjoy this dram. Overall i give this baby an 87 over 100. Cheers!!

So, this will be a dual review since I opened a bottle of this for my Fresh Takes video over on @Generously_Paul’s YouTube channel, Dapper Drams. The reason this will be a dual review is because Highland Park released two different versions of this whisky: the original 47.5% version and a reduced ABV 40% version when their 21yo stocks dwindled in 2010 & 2011. I opened the 40% bottle for the video, but I also had an open bottle of the 47.5% from a few months back. First, a little history about the releases: it was originally launched for travel retail in 2007, and in 2009 it won Best Single Malt Whisky at the World Whisky Awards. Well, naturally, demand skyrocketed and left HP scrambling to meet it- so they did the logical thing: the blended casks down to 40% to stretch the whisky and help meet the surge. They returned it to original strength in 2012, and made it a core range release for the UK market, before discontinuing it completely in 2016- as they began to roll out the Viking re-theme and flood the market with more and more NAS whisky. Tisk-tisk. Onto the reviews: HP 21 47.5% ——————— Appearance: deep gold with oily, thin legs and heavy drops. I believe this does have some added color, but I’m almost certain it’s non-chill filtered because of the higher ABV. Nose: leathery, restrained smoke and tropical fruits, butterscotch and toffee and some lively citrus make it pop more on the tongue (the ABV helps here as well) Palate: medium smokiness with juicy, sherry cask notes, heavy tropical and orchard fruits. The oak is more noticeable in the original version than the 40%. The higher proof adds a definite boost in the heat factor, but I still wouldn’t add water. The mouth feel is consistent and luscious, not thick, but it still clings to everything it touches. Finish: medium-length with a lingering sweetness and pepper bite. The smoke is much richer here and really hangs around. Overall: this is a drinker’s whisky. The smoke is everywhere except on the nose. It’s deep and rich with a nice hit of power for a two decade old malt. 4.25 stars. HP 21 40% ——————- Appearance: it’s dark gold (evidence of added color, I think). Watery with fat legs and tons of medium-sized drops chase the legs down into the bottom of the glass. Nose: the smoke is really muted here, obviously so is the heat- it’s borderline weak. Orchard fruits on the nose, whereas the 47.5% version was almost completely tropical. Caramel and toffee make this seem more like a dessert than a whisky. Palate: sherry and more sherry appear from the jump, there’s a rich, chocolate smoke that permeates the entire sip (which is a plus over the higher proof stuff), this one is smoother and creamier, too. There’s zero heat and nothing lingering after you consume the liquid. Finish: short, almost non-existent. Which is where this dram suffers. A quick flash of sherry and smoke and then it’s gone. There’s no heat, no cask notes and nothing left behind. It’s a bit sad IMO. Overall: the palate delivers more complexity over the higher ABV, but the finish is ruined by all the added water to blend it down in strength. It’s not a bad whisky- in fact, it’s also quite good. 3.75-4 stars. Final thoughts: both of these whiskies are a beautiful example of well-aged, Highland Park. They both lack the uber complexity of the 18 year old and the sophistication of the 25, but they still showcase HP’s excellent malt and sherry cask maturation. I had to pay over $250 for both bottles at auction over the last year or so, so don’t expect a deal on either bottle- they’ve long disappeared from shelves and command a hefty price tag. If you’d like to acquire a bottle, I’d say watch the Scottish auction houses and bid on them when there’s an auction with multiple bottles up for grabs. I have seen a few go for $180-200 when there’s a lull in the bidding wars. Pay close attention to the ABV indication and go harder for the 47.5% version. That way you can blend it down if need be. That said, please check out my video uncorking and mini-review on YouTube: Dapper Drams. Maybe tell a friend and like or subscribe. Cheers and thanks for reading this long-winded, dual review.

This is as good as it gets for a 21 year old. Deep flavors of sherry oak with ever so slight peat, more refined than the already amazing 18. Rich, full and sweet like the 25, they really shouldn’t have discontinued this. Amazing 97