Highland Park The Dark 17 Year

After reading @DrRHCMadden ’s rare 5 stars, I simply had to hunt down my sample and give it a try. I knew I had about 6cl of this, buried somewhere deep in a box full of maybe 400 other samples. Looking for one sample vial buried in 400 is test of patience. Especially when all the vials look alike. Poured 3cl of it, let it sit…and on to trying this bad boy… After going through the toils of the search, I was so looking forward to trying it. Not sure if it expected more, as is the case with anticipation, or that it just wasnt my type, but I felt a bit of a let down. The aroma is the best part. Sherry goodness. Nuts, fruits, a hint of smoke, sandalwood. I can nose this all day. The palette is a step down. Dates, cinnamon, dried fruit. The wisp of smoke is gone. But for me, it fell apart in the finish. Was simple too hot, with a lingering cinnamon heat. Didn’t feel like a 17 yr old, but much younger. Just to make sure, I poured the the other 3cl with a few drops of water. It probably needed to open up a bit? Years of sitting in a sample vial could’ve had an impact. Nope. Even worse. The palette fell apart. So, I see I’m probably the outlier in these reviews. Maybe I had a bad sample? I purchased this sample from an online retailer ages ago, so they could’ve poured the open oxidized bottle into the vials? Who knows. More like 2.0 for me, given the price…but bumping it up to a 3 considering the variables that could’ve gone wrong when purchasing a sample pour. Hopefully I’m the outlier. I do have a full bottle of this somewhere, so will have to simply try it again someday

Apart from one last exclusive Australian release I have arrived at the end of these HP tastings. This afternoon I pour The Dark, counterpart to The Light. As for the Light, Dark has an age statement of 17 years, beautiful packaging, and a seemingly outrageous price of AUD$399.99. The Light was good and showcased some core elements of HP beautifully, but it lacked some character to be on par with the 18 at AUD$250. The Dark according to HPs marketing gurus “celebrates autumn and winter in Orkney – a time to escape from wild weather outside and gather with friends and family, sharing long nights of conversation and laughter around the fire”. It’s 40 degrees celsius today so no fire, and I refuse to share. This is my darkness. N: Thickly decadent and oozing opulence. This is a syrupy to oily nose that spaced with cherry and fruitcake, cake batter, nuttiness (walnuts, pecans?), cocoa and orange rind, cinnamon and nutmeg spices and of course peat. The peat here is HP, sure, but reimagined. The peat goes to a legitimately deeper and darker place, still with the presence of florals and softness but now somehow damper and ashier with a more ember rich feel, and with a little Chrismtas tree pine to boot (same as in the Eagle 16); as if it really is a cold dark winter outside. Honestly, I forgot that it is a brilliant furnace outside. I am almost 20 minutes into this nose and I don’t want to leave. I have also stopped trying to think about what is here, it keeps unraveling, dragging me in, and rearranging itself; so freaking good. P: Full, thick, velvety, and a direct follow on from the nose. Decadence again. Woah. Cherry and raisin, mulled red fruit, spices of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove (I think?), creamy and bitter mocha. There is wonderful textural changes of tannic dryness in places and juicy richness in others. The more you dwell the more there is to find; barrel toast and malted cereal, perfumed wood, lovely hints of pepper, floral-pine brightness, orange or lemon rind. Oh lets not leave out the ever present unifying thread of peat smoke delicate medicinal notes, florals, and beach bonfire. F: Long. The bonfire becomes slightly ashy, sherry fades and wood tannins become drying and peppery. Hidden under the dry exit is a delicate chocolaty creaminess. I believe the Light was matured in ex American oak sherry refill casks. The sherry presence was all but missing in the Light. Here in the Dark the barrels were all sherry seasoned first fill European casks, and what a difference that makes. A beautiful depth of colour instantly contrasts the pale straw colour of the Light. The Light really is light in comparison. The depths of richness and indulgent character in Dark were not mucking about. Everything is brilliant. This is whisky that would reach out and drown you in its darkness if it could. Damn, the execution of this cask strength offering are so en point that there is no abrasive roughness to the high ABV (so much so that I forgot to add a drop of water along the way). Seamless in its integration the dram keeps on giving. Every sip seemingly the same, yet different. Couple this excellent whisky making with its captivating and transportive nature; the ability to pull me into a little bothy hunkered down against a bracing Orkney winter when its really an inferno outside; and I am left unable to fault this brilliant dram. [Pictured here with this drams viking themed rock a eclogite facies metafelsite from Fjørtoft, More Og Romsdal, Norway. This rock is packed with pink garnet, white quartz, and blue kyanite and represents the subduction of very low density granitic crust into the very dense mantle to a depth of about 150 km. It’s also filled with micro diamonds and kind of goes against everything we know about the our planets geodynamics as it shouldn’t be possible to subduct granites to this depth; a remarkable rock for a remarkable dram] ⁣ Distiller whisky taste #142 HP Running ranking (mostly for my benefit): 10: 3.75 12: 4 15: 4.25 18: 4.75 25: 4.75 Valknut: 4.25 Valkyrie: 4.25 Dragon Legend: 3.25 Voyage of the Raven: 3.5 Spirit of the Bear: 3.25 Loyalty of the Wolf: 2.75 Wings of the Eagle: 4 The Light: 4.25 The Dark: 5

Good, but with a name like this I should feel Hades grasping for my soul

HP 17 The Dark. Up front, the packaging is super-cool. But I'll be honest that I'm more interested in what is IN the bottle, than how cool the box is that it came in, and an expensive box raises my suspicions about the contents of the bottle. But upon pouring, you can see the beautiful copper color, and suspect that you're in for a treat. The Dark then immediately quelled the concerns, and I was able to enjoy it with a close friend by the fire for my birthday, tasting it over the span of an hour - and that is how much time is needed to do it justice. The nose and palate are about as complex as it gets. There are so many compelling flavors and nuisances, that it truly was a joy to savor. In one breath, you get grape kool-aid and lilac. In the next, you get coffee and chocolate. In the next, you get dark red sherried fruits, toasted marshmallows and walnuts. You get the occasional lingering flavor of lemon/orange zest on the back of your tongue. And it's all tied together with a beautiful sultry salty smokiness. This really was magnificent. It is a top-5 scotch for me, rivaling the Bowmore 18, Lagavulin Distiller's Edition, Balvenie Tun 1509 and the Signet, and its breadth and depth may put it in the top spot. Going to be hard to take my time with this bottle! If you can get your hands on a bottle, you will not be sorry. It is an amazing journey. Slainte!

Talk about over-the-top packaging. If you haven't seen the presentation for this one, Google it. I often see people ragging on Highland Park for the ostentatious style they've adopted for their brand in recent years, and I can't say I blame them. Yet, I can't lie, I like what they've done here. The Dark is one half of a pair of 17-year old HP releases, both of which clock in at 52.9%, interestingly enough. The Light spends all of its time aging in American sherry oak while The Dark features European sherry oak exclusively. Let's get into it. Nose: Grilled and smoked meat galore. There's brisket, sirloin steak, and roast beef. A raw, earthy peat and a note more akin to ash than smoke. A puff of peppermint, followed by apple, cranberry, grape, date, fig, plum, and toffee. After some time, sundried tomato reveals itself. it's rounded out by cinnamon red hots and a powerful oak barrel spice. Potent and intriguing. Palate: The maritime influence makes itself known on the tongue. Campfire smoke, sea salt, and seaweed bring the coastal flare. Apple, pear, cranberry toffee, and chewy caramel. More of the peppermint. The ash is now accompanied by campfire smoke. Cocoa and plenty of malt. Plenty of drying oak and just enough ethanol and baking spice to let you know you're drinking a 52.9% whisky. Finish: Malt, caramel, dark chocolate, cocoa. Peppermint, roasted walnut, and chestnut. Campfire smoke, seaweed, and brine. Sea salt, cinnamon, black pepper, and oak spice. As long of a finish as you'd expect of a 52.9% ABV whisky. Amazing whisky. One of the few whiskies that provides a varied set of notes between the nose, palate, and finish. As a reviewer, it's an absolute treat to evaluate. Not to mention, it's unique for Highland Park, for an Island Scotch, and for Scotch and whisky in general. There is simply nothing against which to compare this whisky. I look forward to trying The Light. Hopefully I can still track that one down. As for this one, it truly finds itself in a unique niche, and a damn good one at that. I'm a fan of Highland Park by and large, and this is far and away my favorite of the 10 expressions I've owned. Don't let the gaudy packaging fool you; this is an exceptional whisky. 5/5.