Highland Park Fire Edition

Smooth and Smokey with a sharp finish

I originally opened both Highland Park Fire and Ice edition bottles at a get together with a few friends to coincide with the season 7 finale of Game of Thrones. I have been sipping on both since then and I think I'm ready to get my thoughts and impressions down, starting here with the Fire Edition. It's 15 year old whisky that spent its entire life in refilled, port wine casks. It comes in at 45.2% ABV and there were just under 4,400 bottles available for the U.S. market. In the glass, it appears very oily. Give it a spin and it creates a thick, oil slick that sticks to the walls and only slowly grows thin legs as it settles. It's not as dark as I'd expected a port wine finished whisky to be. Some reviewers claim there's a reddish hue in there but I suspect they may have sat the glass close to the bright red bottle and are picking up its reflection, lol. It was a very surprising tasting from start to finish, and not necessarily in a good way. On the nose, even after 15-20min, I still get mostly oak. There's cinnamon notes in abundance, too. It masks any sweetness I expected from the wine barrel. I also don't get any smoke. Strike One. The palate is pretty lively, especially for Highland Park. I seem to recall most of the HP juices I've tried always seem well aged, smooth with a heavier-than-most mouthfeel. Fire feels young, like a NAS whisky bottled a bit too soon. Citrus peel and spicy oak lead the way into a lightly smoked mid-sip. The mouthfeel is thinner and causes all the flavor to fade somewhat quickly. Subtle smoke finally shows up on the exhale and that saves this from being a complete letdown. Strike One-and-a-Half. The finish is medium-long with some strong, bitter chocolate notes mingling with the smoke. A balanced warmth settles across your mouth and is this whisky's saving grace. That's the Highland Park I know and love. Did you notice not much was said of the port finish? It's because it's non-existent to me. All of the magic that may have been in those barrels must've been summoned elsewhere. That makes this offering so disappointing. I absolutely adore peated, port finished whisky, so even though I may have expected the impossible, this doesn't come close to delivering. Strike Two. The ridiculous packaging and price tag are Strike Three. I can't recommend this one when you can purchase almost 3 bottles of the awesome 18 year old for the price of this one. 3 stars. Try it if you can find it in a bar for a reasonable price, but I'd avoid buying a bottle until the price drops significantly. Cheers.

I guess I'm a contrarian, since I would contend that the Fire is sooooo much better than the Ice. Does that mean this whisky is worth $430 CAD? Oh hell no! But... it's pretty spectacular stuff. That especially holds true if you're a coffee aficionado. The presence of roasted coffee beans on the palate is so predominant that you find yourself having a WTF moment. It catches you off-guard, but in a really great way - Starbucks needs to partner with HP on this expression! There's also brine, cinnamon, heather (plenty floral) and a bizarre fruitiness that really comes together harmoniously. The finish is never-ending and overall: OUTSTANDING. Cheers!

I bought a 2oz drink of this last night during our dinner out. Quite honestly, I was surprised to see the big red triangle of a bottle sitting here stateside. Didn't realize it made its way over the Atlantic already. I paid $20 for a 2 oz. Aroma is smoky floral...like embers burning in a field of lavender. It's that peat-port combo I've recently grown to like. Taste first hits you with cinnamon and light floral, with a kick of red berries. Finish is looooong and hot with more cinnamon. Overall...it's really good, but $300/bottle good? Not so sure on that. I'm glad I bought a drink for $20, not sure I'd be shelling out $300 for it, especially when there are others far better and more reasonable. Unless if you're a HUGE fan of HP that you simply must get your hands on every release, I'd pass this up and buy another peat-port combo that's just as good and for a fraction of the price. This is a case where you're paying for a premium for the backstory and marketing.