In the glass this whisky has a color of burnished gold. There is no mention of filtration or coloration on the bottle or the website so I assume both are in play. HP 12 yr is 43% ABV. The legs were unimpressive, just average. Nosing this dram presents peat, some floral/grassy notes, and brine. I let it sit in the glass for quite some time before getting the slightest hint of honey. After more than 30 minutes there were some faint fruity notes as well. But mostly smoke and honey. The palate is more of the same: sweet smoky honey. It has a nice mouthwatering body and finishes with more smoke, like burning leaves. Water did not change much, just enhancing the sweetness a bit. Overall this is pretty good but surprisingly one dimensional. This dram can be summed up in two words: smoky honey. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I was expecting a little more. Solid 4.0. Cheers!