I’m not sure where to begin with this malt. I’ve been cruising through some higher end bottles from HP lately: Fire, Ice and the 25yo. This is an official sample group pour from my friend Paul in Detroit. It’s travel retail exclusive, so I’d never get a chance to try this one otherwise (thanks for that Paul), and it’s part of another NAS Viking warrior series that HP is pushing on the travel market. I have mixed feelings there for sure, but I’d like to give HP the benefit of the doubt. This one was a NAS offering utilizing European and American ex-sherry oak barrels. It’s the industry minimum 40% ABV and is a bright, new penny copper in the tasting glass. It makes some seriously quick and thin legs when you twirl it- evidence that there’s a significant amount of water used to blend the various casks and bring down the ABV. That’s not good, IMO. The nose is sherry and light maple syrup with a hint of weak smoke rounding it out. This is the best part of the whisky. It’s downhill from here. The palate is watery with vanilla and tea leaves that transition quickly to a light pepper spice and weak oak barrel note. The overall mouthfeel is weak, especially for Highland Park. The finish is medium length and drying. Those same sherry notes from the nose finish things off. Like I said, I’ve been enjoying some more expensive bottles from HP lately, and I’ve even been somewhat critical of the Fire Edition, but both the Fire & Ice bottles are miles above this offering. I recently had the 25 year and it is absolutely stunning (review coming soon). This one just doesn’t stack up. Sorry, Paul, but this one is a dud. 2.5-2.75 stars, with some of that rating getting a bump because it’s a rare bottle for me. Cheers, my friends