Part two of the “Premium Highland Park samples from Lee” series of reviews. Tonight is the 17 year old Ice Edition, which was released before the Fire Edition I reviewed last night. This single malt from Orkney was matured exclusively in ex bourbon casks without a hint of sherry. Bottled at cask strength of 53.9% ABV, natural color of yellow gold, and even though it’s not stated, it is non chill filtered. ACHTUNG!: Not giving this one time to breathe will result in a model glue note on the nose. Please give it at least 5-10 minutes. The nose starts off soft and floral. Heather honey and honeysuckle. It quickly turns fruity. Starting with apples and pears, but it soon makes a sharp transition into oranges, tangerines, apricots, melon. Then another switch to tropical fruits, pineapple and mango. Some light vanilla and caramel, very light smoke. More smoke than the Fire Edition, but that really isn’t saying much. Bourbon like notes emerge with warm oak, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. Toffee and light mocha show next. Being cask strength I had to add some water to see what else was hiding. I found that toasted coconut was revealed along with more floral notes and vanilla custard. A somewhat hot arrival on the palate, but with it comes huge amounts of fruits. Mango, papaya, pineapple, grilled apricots, and some oranges. Pepper and a very light smoke, still not on the level I’ve come to expect from HP, but still it’s there. A light salty note, toasted coconut and tangerine. When water is added it really reminded me of Bowmore Gold Reef, just with much less peat. Quite good, but too strong to drink more than an ounce without the addition of water. The mouthfeel is full, oily, thick, mouth coating and a bit dry. The finish is medium long, spicy, fruity and salty-sweet. Much better than the Fire Edition, but still the peat smoke is nowhere near where I would like it. Perhaps it’s just the age of the whisky or the sheer intensity of the fruits overpowering it. The nose does not prepare you for the intensity that is delivered on the palate. Not even close. Personally, I feel cask strength is too much here and taking it down to 48% may have been a better decision. But what do I know? Having seen how pure ex bourbon maturation affects HP, I now know that sherry casks are a necessity. They really add a layer or three of complexity that is lost without them. Like the Fire Edition, this is $300. $200 too much if you ask me. Still, it’s a good scotch and I would take this over the Fire any day. A solid 4. Thanks again @LeeEvolved Cheers