Whiskey_Hound
Highland Park Full Volume
Single Malt — Islands, Scotland
Reviewed
February 8, 2021 (edited October 28, 2022)
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.
90.0
USD
per
Bottle
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@CKarmios @PBMichiganWolverine My last few HPs have all been pretty good like this one. All ages-stated and respectably-proofed. Maybe the folks at Edrington are realizing we aren’t fooled by the smoke and mirror show
I’m not sure what surprised me more—-either that this is an OB HP that’s over 4 stars, or that there’s no mention of Vikings
Finding it very hard to get motivated about Highland Park. Too many releases and pricing is all over the place. I’m glad you enjoyed this one.