Highland Park Cask Strength Release No. 3

Nose: Malt and peat forward, with a black pepper lingering. Pretty tight nose Palate: effervescent, spicy malt, candied lemon peel, peat, savory saltyness like burnt bacon. As you continue to sip, the red fruit from the finish becomes more prominent Finish: long finish, the acrid peat and light, sweet honey last a while. The red fruit makes a longer and longer appearance as you continue to sip

Wow this tastes 50%. Really good and drinks way below its proof

Open 9 months Nose - Spicy honey, honeysuckle, sharp malt, Big League Chew grape flavored, forest after rainfall, campfire, and strong ethanol. Palate - Musty sherry, raisins, figs, wet hay, eucalyptus, citrus oil, and ashy peat. Finish is long with ash, dank peat, grain, sweet malt, honey, raisins, and medium ethanol. This is much better than the original release. That was way too hot and ashy. I skipped over No. 2 because I didn't think they would improve it that much, but reviews kept getting stronger for No. 2 and No. 3 so I finally took the plunge. I still think this is missing a little something, slightly more sherry influence and a couple more years in the barrel. If that happens in the future, it would probably be the best cask strength Scotch under $100.

An excellent Highland Park, so soft yet focused and full of life, forest and moss, even when I water it down to 46%.