Highland Park Full Volume

Peach, vanilla, smoke, citrus. Lots going on

On the heels of SMWS, tough to compare.

I tried this at a liquor show a while back and remembered enjoying it. Hence the purchase. HP gets a lot of flack for pumping out expensive NAS releases like its nothing. Nice to see them but out a well-matured malt at a reasonable price. Let's get into it. Nose: Light peat and sulfur. Smoky and spicy, with some cinnamon and black pepper. Some vanilla and honey round it out a bit. Lime, lemon, and orange add a layer of citrus. Emphasis on the lime. A little grilled pineapple in there as well. Malty and grassy. Surprisingly soft for the proof (47.2% ABV.) Good nose, not great. Palate: Much more vibrant than the nose suggested. A wave of brine and sea salt compliments a nice hit of peat smoke. Apple and pear play nicely with the lime, lemon, and orange. Orchard and citrus fruits make for a great combination here. Cinnamon and black pepper translate. The bourbon cask adds vanilla and caramel. Malty with a bit of custard. It's oaky, as one would expect of a 17 (maybe 18?) year-old malt. Solid palate. Finish: Peat smoke, brine, sea salt, cinnamon, and black pepper. Classic HP black bean red pepper chili. The lemon and lime carry over in a big way, especially the latter. Caramel and vanilla as well. All adding up to a moderate, bordering on long finish. Nice conclusion. Kudos to Highland Park for this one. I know it didn't get great reviews, but I think this is a great value. The nose is nothing to write home about, but the palate and finish pick up the slack. 100% bourbon aged Highland Park? Worthwhile experiment because the product is solid overall. Respectable proof. 17+ years old. Sub-$100 (I grabbed it for $90.) This one checks a lot of boxes. And it doesn't hurt that the juice tastes pretty damn good. I seem to be in the minority with my opinion here so I'd read around before you buy. But I say job well done here. And if you're a Highland Park fan, I say this is a must buy. It's interesting to see what they can do without sherry casks. The result is one of my favorite HP releases to date.