Highland Park Voyage of the Raven
Single Malt
Highland Park // Islands, Scotland
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Reverend357
Reviewed December 3, 2018 (edited December 9, 2018)Day 3 after a very, very long monday at the office. I really need to get a bottle for my new office room...finally got my own, so now I'm blasting Pantera and Black Label Society instad of pop shit on the radio....so it would only be fitting to get a desk bottle for...longer days. Would still be the room with the least amount of alcohol in this building...a retired coworker started distilling himself. His gin is quite good. Anyway, back to the sample at hand. So far, Highland Park never disappointed, but the only real broadside hit I got from them was the HP18. That one is still in my top 3. This sherry bomb though...I'm not sure where HP was going with this. The nose hits you with the typical salt and brine, but not as intense as I'm used to. There is also some honey and the sherry gives it the typical dark fruits that I like. Taste is interesting. The Sherry clearly dons the dominatrix suit in this partnership, and the peaty parts at times feel like they have been locked in a cage by it. What first hits you is fruity sweetness, then slowly a certain amount of salt makes itself known, and the bitter peatyness just stops by for a quick slap at the end. And that's my main problem with this...short and underwhelming as it may be, the peat note generates a kind of bitterness that does not at all harmonize with the fruityness of the sherry. If done right, those 2 opposites form a delicate balance where both compliment each other, here it feels like a power struggle about who gets to use the whip and who has to wear the collar....and they haven't figured it out yet. This results in a weird, bitter, fruity and salty aftertaste that just does not work. On their own, each note is very pleasent, togehter...kinda like a 1911 in 9mm. 1911s are great, and 9mm is good, but togheter it's a bit of a mish mash. So yeah, that sums up my thoughts on this. Sorry for the weird analogies today...didn't get much sleep tonight and the wet cold weather hurts my joints...that makes me a bit weird sometimes. So yeah, 3.75 stars might be a bit high for it, but I justify it with the fact that while it is a chaotic mess, there is no unpleasent note in it that drags it down. I'd drink the occasional glas of this, but I would hesitate to pay 70 bucks for bottle.70.0 EUR per Bottle -
LeeEvolved
Reviewed November 1, 2018 (edited December 3, 2018)This travel retail exclusive, NAS release from Highland Park is blended to showcase sherry influence over smoke. This bottle contains primarily first fill, sherry whisky and is watered down to just slightly above 41% ABV. I added this bottle to an international order last winter and it has been sitting on the bar staring at me for quite some time. Needless to say, the low ABV hasn’t really excited me. Anyway, it’s a rich copper in color- evidence of the first fill cask aging. It’s oily with large water droplets forming quickly and releasing into heavy, undefined legs in the Glencairn. The nose is intensely sherried. There’s a light, chocolatey smoke mulling about but there’s no hint of heat, wood or ABV. This is as close to a Speyside-style malt as I’ve ever had from HP. The palate relies heavily on the sherry again, but this time the smokiness is replaced with a biting, salty aspect that makes the palate seem overly harsh, in spite of the low ABV. It threw me off quite a bit from the nosing and the two aspects to not jive very well. The finish is medium length and warming, with a spicy oak bite and tell tale signs of youthful spirit. At no point does any heat come into play and only a hint of spiciness lingers. Yawn. Overall, this is the most mixed-up HP I think I’ve had. It wants to focus on sherry finishing, but it gives up the smoke and most of the Island characteristics usually found with Highland Park. I think by cutting the ABV they cut this one short. It seems like they are pushing quantity of product out the door instead of quality. Which, as we all know, is the end goal of most non-age statement whisky. They should’ve saved the stock and just let it age and be used in something better down the road. Factor in a price point above $80 and I can only muster 2.5-2.75 stars, max. HP fans should look elsewhere. Cheers.82.0 USD per Bottle
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