Highland Park Cask Strength Release No. 1

Oké maar er zijn betere HP

Suprised the peat is fairly gentle on the nose, as is the high ABV. The nose is sweet but also has a lot of salt air on it. You get the ABV on the pallet, which comes off as peppery. Sherry and light peat on the finish. Pretty fuggin amazing! Gonna definitely go slow with this and let it open up. So far, its a slam dunk for me.

Classic highland park distillery characteristics with a bit more sherry and of course the full cask flavors. As far as cask strength goes for me. Its slightly behind the aberlour a'bunadh

Open 5 months Nose - Very strong ethanol that accentuates the peat level, honeysuckle, cereal grain, toasted white bread, brine, and lemon bars. Palate - Honey, cereal, white pepper, buttered bread, medium peat. Long, hot finish with harsh alcohol and peat, then lingering bitter malt and honey notes. I was so excited for this, but it was rough initially. I've never had a Scotch whisky this harsh. The alcohol and peat overwhelm the senses. I didn't touch this for a week after I first opened it hoping oxygen would mellow it out. It did, but this is still not for everyone. If you're not used to cask strength bourbons, ryes, and Islays, I would not touch this. At $90, I can't say I recommend this bottle. It is good and certainly unique, but you can buy cask strength Ardbeg and Laphroaig for less, and those are significantly better in my opinion. For Highland Park fans, this is nothing like the delicate touch of peat you find in 12Y and 15Y offerings.

Spicy, toffee, raisin, moderate peat

Good, but slightly disappointing compared to expectations.

A relatively new Highland Park cask strength expression, called edition No.1, even if this distillery has a bunch of whiskies that are bottled at cask strength. This one has been advertised as a whisky that shows the full palette of aromas and flavors that Highland Park can achieve. Bottled at a very powerful 63.3%abv, golden color. On the nose, it is very floral and strong. Starts with a malted barley aroma note, lemon, heathery peat, cookie dough, vanilla and molasses. A lot of floral notes, hay, butter and grapefruit. On the palate the first sip is way too powerful. Very sulphuric, copper, a lot of metallic flavors. It is a very fiery flavor. The second sip is amazing though. Vanilla, vinegar, red fruits, red wine and apples. Aftertaste is a little difficult to handle due to the peatiness and the high abv. I am a peat head, but the sulphuric notes where just too harsh at the beggining. Smoke, pepper, cigarrettes, vanilla, incense and coal. A second sip gave me smoke, hay and bonfire. Wasabi is there too. Overall, this is a good expression, but it feels harsh sometimes. The flavor palette is good, not overly complex, but decent enough. My score for it is 89/100.