It’s been about 3 years since I last sat on this patio (pictured) drinking whisky in the English late spring sunshine. Today though is marked by my daughter’s second birthday. Now that she is down for the night I figured it was apt to have something a little bit special to celebrate surviving two years of parenthood. I purchased this bottle two nights ago on a whim, mainly to enter a prize draw to get a trip to Orkney. But also because this seems like it may be one of the better non standard offerings from HP. I’m also pleased to see that HP have gone back to the plain glass bottles and done away with the gaudy Viking themed embossed glass. Grown ups have returned to the marketing department. This review is going to get long, there’s this whole whisky tasting experience promoted for this special bottling, and I’ve decided to give it a go below my main tasting notes here. What will be particularly interesting is to see what 16 years of virgin Swedish Oak does to the signature profiles of Highland Park. N: Wonderfully full yet delicate. Instantly oak spice brings warmth and depth of character. Fresh pears and peaches with an excellent floral bouquet lift everything to be bright and refreshing. At the back a thick almost sticky vanilla is rich and robust. Letting this have 10-minutes in the glass is a must, there is now a suggestion of smoked orange, a marmalade-peat medley; its wonderful P: There is a lot of toasted oak here, a lot. Sip one is just wood but give it time, there is an orchestra at work here - rich oak spice, toasty malt, plump raisins, floral honey, a wisp of ginger. Through it all a conductor threads gentle warm peat smoke. F: Long, it just keeps coming. Oak spice continues but it turns into a stony-metallic mineral laden exit with smoke becoming dry and maritime. It’s been some time since I had a HP to sit and consider (way back on review #199 I think). There are good HPs amongst the special releases, and there are some average and mundane ones. Between you and I, Between You and I is up there with the best of the bunch. I am vaguely reminded of the Highland Park 18 here. 18 is border line genius and probably shouldn’t be drawn as a comparison, but this is my review so I’ll run with it. 18 is finesse, poise and craft; bottled. This 16 year old is like a burlier, meatier counterpart. The addition of the virgin Swedish Oak imparts an oomph and fullness that can really be grabbed hold of. At about the same price point it’s a tough call for which I’d keep in stock. In the immortal words of the old El Paso advert: “¿Por qué no ambos?” And now for something completely different. The premise of the whisky being made by HP and Björn Frantzén was to craft a whisky that explores the deeply personal ways we experience flavours and aromas, and how sharing what we taste can bring us closer. To that end the whisky comes with a little booklet that provides emotional and experiential prompts for tasting. My thoughts on this are below… COLOUR Hold your dram up to the light. How would you describe the colour of your whisky? What does it remind you of? -Deep gold to burnished. Probably because I am back in the UK in summer time, but stubble fields. I spent my child hood riding horses cross country across farm lands near to home. The end of summer, after the wheat fields were harvested left these dark golden ‘stubble fields’ that were great for charging across at break neck speed. AROMA Hold your glass up to your nose and breathe in the scent of the whisky. Which aromas do you smell? Where have you smelled them before? -Aromas are above. To be honest, this is a whisky smell, but the orchard fruits are somewhat reminiscent of the cideries and orchards of SW England; again childhood memories here of family holidays to the SW. FLAVOUR Take a small first sip and let the whisky cover every part of your mouth. Consider how it tastes and how it feels. What flavours can you taste? How do they evolve over time? -As above. MUSIC There is evidence that music and sound can affect the way we taste and experience whisky. Which song or sound do you think would go perfectly with this whisky, and why? -Life has not been straightforward of recent years the daily existential crises that a baby (now toddler) brings, together with career changes, promotions, health scares, bad health outcomes, and loss. Music has been a necessary processing mechanism and whisky has been mostly absent. Whisky has always been a meditative experience though, enjoyed in quiet moments. Music has matched my mood through the last two years. Sadness, anger, stoicism and pure joy. I think the play list that I would pair with a deep pour of this whisky, in light of recent years and current state of contemplation would have to be: 1. Sand Drawing - Judah Earl 2. Bear Story II - Luke Howard 3. Caledonia - Nathan Evans 4. Go Do - Jonsi PLACE If you could be sipping your whisky anywhere in the world right now, where would you be? Describe the scene in as much detail as you can. What time of day is it? What can you see and hear? - I’ve been quite fortunate to travel widely and visit some truly remarkable places, and I am hard pressed to find anywhere better than the here and now of my family home, sat on the patio watching the sun go down. The sky is just starting to take on a rich pastel colour palette of yellow pink and mauve as the fading light bounces of the estuary mud flats, and soft fluffy clouds are kissed by pink shadows. Song birds are currently flitting about before the shift changes to bats chasing the evening insects. The delicate smell of countless roses and herbs is drifting by, and the sounds of my family chatting through an open back door with my daughter asleep in her room above me are really all I could wish for. FOOD What dish you would like to eat with your whisky? How would you describe the ingredients, flavours, aromas, colours and textures, and what you would call the dish? -Come with me to Montepulciano in Tuscany for a spell. In July 2023, my wife and I travelled across Italy with my best friend and her partner, Diego. Diego is as Italian as a person can be and knows food better than most. To this day the favourite thing I have ever eaten was cooked by Diego from fresh Tuscan produce, a simple fresh Pici (thick spaghetti) with pancetta, tomatoes, and parmesan alongside buffalo and cow mozzarella. Perhaps followed up by the single best ice cream I have ever experienced during a life dedicated to finding the worlds best ice cream (top tip; never find the worlds best ice cream if you plan on continuing to enjoy ice cream). COMPANY There are few greater pleasures in life than spending time in good company. If you could share a dram of your whisky with anyone who has ever lived, who would it be, and what would you talk about? - The day I was born my grandparents moved in next door. My grandpa died in 2014. As I sit here now looking up at his house, I think I’d most like to sit with him and tell him about the last 12 years, have him meet my wife and his great granddaughter. My grandfather owned a large pewter thimble (about 75 ml I think, my dad currently has it). My grandpa was well known for declaring he’d have ‘just a thimble’ of whisky before bed. EMOTION Take a moment to think about how your whisky makes you feel. Which word or colour best represents that feeling? -Grateful, dark pink. SPACE Imagine you are creating a space to house your whisky. What would your space look like? Which objects would you include in it, and why? -Easy, I already have this space. It’s my rock room. Two deep seated, high backed and winged leather chairs in my rock room. Surrounded by shelves of rocks, fossils, meteorites. Geological maps and my microscope work adorning open wall space. Geology texts going back to the mid 1700s and all my whiskies happily shelved. After all I think whisky should be with rocks, not on the rocks. ART What painting or piece, of art would you like to look at or experience while drinking your whisky? What does that piece, or the artist who created it, mean to you? -Anything by Heironymous Bosch. If you don’t know who he is/was look his work up. Straight up hellish fever dreams. I swear he must have been borderline insane to come up with the visions he put to paper. I was fortunate enough to stumble upon one of his pieces in the museum at St Marks Square in Venice. I proceeded to get shouted at by multiple security and museum staff for being far too animated and excited in front of it. Anyway, I think his work is immense and just so much fun, no other reason than that. THREE WORDS Now that this experience is coming to an end, take a moment to reflect on what you have tasted and shared. How would you describe this experience in just three words or phrases? -Not three word, but one phrase that has resonated recently: “the days are long and the years are short”. I guess its incumbant on us all to appreciate the small moments then. Distiller whisky taste #305 Highland Park running scores: 10: 3.75 12: 4 15: 4.25 18: 4.75 25: 4.75 16 Between You and I: 4.5 Valknut: 4.25 Valkyrie: 4.25 Valfather: 4 Dragon Legend: 3.25 Voyage of the Raven: 3.5 Spirit of the Bear: 3.25 Loyalty of the Wolf: 2.75 Wings of the Eagle: 4 The Light: 4.25 The Dark: 5 Mjolner: 4.5 Full Volume: 3.25