Nose: Acacia blossom honey, stewed pears in sauternes, a distant smoldering grass-fire, cold fireplace ash, thyme, sage, seaweed, vanilla, a little lemon. The casks are barely visible and there is good weight to the nose – it’s earthy, herbal and the peat-reek builds with repeated nosing. Water reduces the intensity of the nose but does not change the profile. I think it’s just knocking down an ethanol intrusion. Palate: Sweet-and-sour, grippy and full-bodied arrival on spice (pepper), green fruit, citrus, peat smoke and oak. The development is narrow, thin and does not bring out a great deal more, but it does amplify the arrival. The texture is oily but it’s also surprisingly light. There are some big, hot notes here that dominate but don’t contribute much. There are also some more subtle tones, but I think they are all just facets of peat smoke. Water has an unusual effect (see below). Finish: Medium. Unripe apple, raisins, sooty mineral and almost metallic smoke. A dry finish. This is apparently highly peated but you don’t notice it immediately. It creeps up on you with repeated nosing and tasting and there is more peat smoke than you initially think. However this is a mixed blessing because for me this is pretty much a one-note whisky focused on peat. The profile is fairly simple – grassy, peaty, herbal with the signature Highland Park honey notes well represented, but sort of dulled and shadowed while being sharp. Kind of like an ash-pan and a bottle of vodka accidentally tipped over into a honeypot. The nose was by far the best part for me. The palate is noisy and boisterous and it changes curiously with a little dilution. I expected it to gain sweetness and for the spices to be muted, but instead the ashen smoke billowed up and overpowered everything else. On the whole this behaves like very young whisky. When it was first opened it was harsh and gritty, with everything being loud. Time and air has mellowed the profile, but that has just served to showcase its limitations. It’s a good Highland Park, but not anywhere near my top selection. The core-range 10 year old is almost half the price of this and I’d have two bottles of that in preference any day of the week. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars) ----------------------------------------------------- Rating Adjusted 14 March 2023 I've almost finished this bottle and it has improved since it hit the half-way point, with oxidisation softening the tannins and modulating the intensity. It is not nearly as hot as it was at first and a leathery quality has developed. The honey notes common to all Highland Park have intensified and with just a dash of water it is now a very pleasant dram that seems to be less brash and young than it did at first. Still not quite 4 stars for me, but only missing that mark by a single percentage point. "Good" : 84/100 (3.75 stars)