My first dram from my first bottle of Highland Park 12. A 43% ABV Single Malt from Orkney Isle in Scotland. Love the bottle etchings and overall shape. Poured about 2oz into my Glencairn and rested about 12min. The color is a rich honey with slight orange tints. Beautiful for being naturally colored. Nose: This nose is really nice and round and fairly rich. Some dark fruits in there, honey, some leather, and just a hint of smoke sneaking around. Palate: The sweetness really opens up on the palate as well as some more smoke and leather. Some honey and a little bit of the dark fruit notes show back up. Nice and slick on the palate, not drying in the mouth. After sipping a bit, added a couple drops of water. The water really brought the woody/oak character to the front of the palate. Finish: The finish is some lingering sweetness giving way to a little smokey/leather and old oak note. Warming as it goes down but not aggressive, it’s quite pleasant. Overall it’s a medium finish in length hanging around a bit. Value/overall opinion: As my first taste of this whisky I am really enjoying it. And the price for a bottle($55 here for me) doesn’t put it out of reach for having on hand at all times. A fine dram and quite tasty.