Jan-Case
Highland Park The Dark 17 Year
Single Malt — Islands, Scotland
Reviewed
January 31, 2021 (edited November 22, 2022)
Now that #dryjanuary is over, I want to start my new whisky year properly with a selection of amazing whisky that I collected over the last few months - most of which have been recommendations from you guys. Here we go with the first one.
Highland Park 17y The Dark
Nose: super fragrant ripe orchard fruits (dark cherries, apples, peaches, pears and plums) on a warm early autumn day, a super creamy vanilla infused with a nice rich peat (not ashy or smoky ... more like blown out matches), lots of florals as well (like blossoming orchard fruits trees), lots of dark forest-honey, blackberry jam, very rich and deep from the sherry casks that they used with lots of oak wood influences, all so very up front and vibrant. The second nose presents an insane creamy coffee and orange chocolate - that was there probably before - I just didn’t notice. Super interesting.
Palate: sherry soaked wood and the peat lie dry and saturated on the tongue, it takes quite a long time for it to smooth out and release an incredible caramel creme brûlée and soft vanilla butter cookies. The final palate is really heavy and rich but still with a vibrant dryness. The second palate is a lot more sweet and feels much more balanced too. You get some nice additional bitter flavors like anise, hops, lime peel, wood chips. Very nice.
Finish: medium long and well balanced. In the middle of all the extrem spectrums it presented on the nose and palate, you find bits and pieces of all kind of things popping up (port, wood, dry spices, fruit seeds, honey / wax, hops) have you ever had pine tree honey - that’s what I get here too.
After all the praise from you guys I convinced myself to get my hands on this bottle. And wow is it good. It is insane how the nose and palate transforms / rebalances over the course of a dram. It has the typical Highland Park DNA including the roughness / dryness but here it definitely is in-place and likeable. This is good whisky. Period. Very well crafted and blended.
By the way - the packaging of this special edition is amazing. Not only is the bottle itself very cool with that large emblem directly formed in the glas but it comes in a black wooden open box with engravings - everything of very high quality I want to add.
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A word on my 2021 resolutions: Over the last two years I really tried to dig deep into this new hobby of mine and now after over 200 different tasted whiskies I came to a conclusion: even though I can really enjoy normal / average whisky, I found myself in a position where I want to make every dram I drink from my own collection to be at least amazing if not spectacular.
Why? I cautiously try to monitor my alcohol intake to keep drinking a healthy hobby, which officially means 100g alcohol per week across 5 days. And this is not a lot (1 dram with 50% ABV on 5 days in one week with two “dry“ days in between). And since money isn’t that big of an issue at the moment I will try to create a collection where every whisky is at least a great experience and it doesnt feel like I wasted my intake limit with something “just nice”. All subjective of course. Think “Why drink the 12 or 15y if you can get the 18 or 21y.”
While this means that most of the whiskys I am aiming for are only starting at 3 digit prices, there are of course quite a few very affordable bottles that still give me the joy I am looking for in the future. (Like Kilkerran 12, Uigeadail, BenRiach with quite a few expressions as well as Arran, Balblair, Benromach and of course Kilchoman.)
Of course I will finish my current collection but I also already outed a few bottles and samples as well. New purchases will be picked much more carefully with this goal in mind. And that means no more impulsive purchases. Thank god we have severeal amazing Online Stores here in Germany / Europe that professionally sell Whisky samples, which makes this a lot easier.
So here on Distiller I am looking forward to a great lineup over the next couple of days that I want to share with you guys here. In the weeks after that I will be revisiting my favourites from last year. And after that I will go back and forth with drams from my collection as well as new samples.
I already have quite a few bottles on my wishlist but I would be happy to get recommendations from you guys for other top shelve whiskies up to 400$.
So, happy new year to all of you fine people again. And if you have, what are you guys’ new years resolutions in whisky?
Slainte Mhath
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@PBMichiganWolverine I embrace my basic-ness and live vicariously through you, minus the insects
@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington mine was on medicinal chemical properties in some Amazonian plants. First few days were fun. Rest of the semester was grueling heat, bad food, heavy rains, and endless annoyances from insects.
@PBMichiganWolverine dude, your college research was way better than mine…
@DrRHCMadden my most horrendous was 20 yrs ago in the Amazon. I spent some time with them as part of a senior year college research. The very last night, we were given a fermented drink made from some leaves , mixed with the spit of the older women in the tribe. It was supposedly an honor to have their fermented spit. I begrudgingly had it, didn’t want to insult them by refusing
@PBMichiganWolverine I drank some horrendous things in Africa. To say no would have been outrageously bad cricket. The banana pulp being fermented in what can only be described as a grave. Crawling in flies and smelling like death. That came close to being a hard no. Alas. As with all damn awful things you put in your mouth, I’m told; it’s a delicacy.
@DrRHCMadden That sounds amazing. Didn’t realize there’s such a thing as fermented banana pulp. But—-I guess we can ferment any fruit or vegetable
@PBMichiganWolverine I was made coffee from pure robusta beans pulled off a tree and roasted in front of me by a Ugandan lady in the forest. Ground the coffee with a Gandalf staff and a rock. Tasted like death. Best day ever. Later that day I was given fermented banana pulp. Fermented in a mud hole under a stack of leaves to “keep it clean”. The world has many wonderful delights. It’s important to try them all.
@DrRHCMadden YES!! Those are my two sins as well—-coffee and whiskey. ( better that then hookers and blow…) On a recent trip to Hawaii, I managed a distillery visit ( Koloa rum ), and several coffee farms —was idyllic!
@PBMichiganWolverine I go through phases. None. Max of about 6. Like yesterday, at a distillery tasting-tour. Life is too short for bad coffee and bad whisky.
@DrRHCMadden @Jose-Massu-Espinel i came to a similar conclusion some years back. I drink primarily one dram. (3-6cl) a week.
Good for you with the goal to drink only things that matter! if you want a few Australian suggestions I'd be happy to share some suggestions.
Thanks for the great review here. And I am in a similar position. At a point of my life where I can up my spending, and where I also want to moderate my drinking. I keep it to 5 days a week, and try to keep to no more than 2 drams on a drinking night. Makes those bottles last. Finding some spectacular bottles, at varying price points. Top of the list, and very pricy, are the Laphroaig 25 and the Bruichladdich Black Art. Both are near perfect. Looking forward to trying the HP Dark 17 soon.
Great review:-). I to made it through dry January..with the help of non-alcoholic gin. Yeah i got real tired of drinking average stuff. I don't want to be drinking wishing I was drinking something else. I just can't drink much or to regular straight spirits anymore..gut just doesn't like it and more than 1 or 2 stuffs my sleep. Not sure what the next bottle I'll get. My last bottle has gone to auction...Springbank i think..15 or 18. Not expensive but love the stuff...
@Jan-Case bourbon was my first whiskey love, then I followed scotch’s siren song, but as you mentioned in your review, a lot of the best scotch starts with three digits in the price. I came back to bourbon last year and I’m hooked again!
@WhiskeyLonghorn I haven’t had any Bourbon yet whatsoever. I’m a little afraid that will be leading to another whisky shelf ;) But I am planing on diving into bourbon sometimes this year as well with a selection of samples of the top of the crop. I will be getting back to you guys when that time comes around.
Very much enjoyed your review. Recently spotted George Clooney sipping on this bottle in “The Midnight Sky” on Netflix. Good to know his taste in scotch is better than his taste in tequila. I also enjoyed your resolutions. I too am finishing up #dryjanuary, and share your resolution of only keeping around bottles I really enjoy. For me I’ve found that leans toward the $40-$60 bourbon range, with a few stalwart scotches for balance. Like you also, I have a few lackluster bottles that need finishing/donating to a willing friend. Cheers to 2021!
Great review! Really looking forward to trying this one day. I think we’re in a similar position. I spent last year learning a huge amount about different spirits and covering a lot of the foundations. Outside of samples, I’m trying to be more selective about what I buy, as my palate has matured since I began hitting the hobby hard early last year. Also, I’m quickly running out of storage space. I ran a rough calculation and determined that I could have one drink a day for the next 5 years and still not run out of liquor. I suspect that many of us here have enough for 10 or 15 years :) Looking forward to reading your reviews of the good stuff. Cheers to another year on the wagon, responsibly of course.