Nose: Oloroso sherry, maritime brine, fresh-cut hay, demerara sugar, cardamom, cumin, ginger, fenugreek, cinnamon and mint. There is a smoky note but it is initially hidden by a spirity, ethanol presence. This dissipates fairly quickly resulting in a sweet nose, but it’s spicy sweet and the signature Highland Park orange aromas are missing in action. The addition of water evolves more herbal notes. Palate: A spicy, briny arrival with tannins, ginger and pepper being prominent. Salt-water taffy, marmalade and currents in the development. The texture is full, a little drying but oily. The smoke notes begin in the early development and are quite prominent. A dash of water softens the palate and brings out further vegetal and herbal notes but also finds otherwise hidden orange liqueur flavours. Water also modulates the texture and profile making the whisky creamier and sweeter. Finish: Medium/long. Herbal, smoky, woody and spicy with soft tannins in the aftertaste. Water makes the finish softer and sweeter. A big whisky to finish today’s lineup of six Highland Parks, but for me this was the least impressive of the bunch. It’s certainly a demonstrative whisky but I felt it exchanged the nuance and fruity juiciness common to all the other expressions for rather ordinary spice notes, and consequently it seems a little simplistic and inferior in profile. This was the only whisky of the day where I felt water was required, and in my opinion the dram was much improved by dilution. It’s by no means a bad whisky, in fact it is a good one, but not one that is to my taste and I would not want to buy a bottle. I also found the official tasting notes curious and very different to my experience (for what that’s worth). Tasted from a 30ml sample. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)