Please take into account that these are my personal tasting notes and personal experience, as such you may interpret this whisky very differently from me.
I’m going to be honest form the start with this one – Highland Park 12yr is my favourite whisky. Even after drinking and tasting whisky for years it is still my top choice. It is also the one that really started it all for me. I’d drunk whisky before but never really got into it, then I tried Highland Park 12yr while in Orkney. It was in the Stromness Hotel, in their whisky bar. I enjoyed it so much I went out and bought a bottle the very next day and there started my love affair with whisky!
Colour:
Light amber (lighter than I remembered).
Nose:
Sweet, sherry, fresh, heather, honey and brown sugar.
With Water: Strong brown sugar with a touch of peat in the background and a slight touch of vanilla.
Palate:
Sweet and creamy, a touch of sherry and a good dose of smoke without being overpowering, spice and oak.
With Water: A hint of orange coming through along with the brown sugar from the nose.
Finish:
Long, smoke and spice with a touch of oak. Slightly drying.
With Water: Fresher on the finish with heather coming through again.
Overall:
As I’ve already said this is my favourite whisky, as such I’m slightly biased on this one! A good mix of sweet and smokey with that unique heather tone running throughout. For the price (which has gone up in recent years) I think this is an absolute bargain. I’m not normally prone to recommending a whisky but I will make an exception with this one (remember I am biased though).
Notes:
Taken from Highland Park Website.
ABOUT
The expression that started it all for Highland Park, the 12 year old is at the very heart of our core range and demonstrates rich, well balanced malty tones, with the subtle floral smoke which makes Highland Park such a distinctive single malt whisky.
TASTING NOTES
Colour: Glowing amber
Nose: Heather-honey sweetness, peaty smokiness
Palate: Rounded smoky sweetness, full malt delivery
Finish: Sweet and lingering with heathery notes and subtle smoke
Terrific write up! HP12 is at the top of my own list, so it’s nice to see others spreading the love.
Thinking about your previous post on “Style vs Substance”, I think HP12 is one of the best examples of the point you were making. It’s relatively young, grabbing a bottle won’t empty the pocketbook… It’s easy to overlook, yet it’s damned near a perfect drop, at least in my opinion!
I really enjoy your blog – your idea to include the distillery’s notes after your own is original and offers an interesting comparison. Keep up the great work!
Reid
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Thank you, always good to know your work is appreciated:-)
You’re completely right about the HP (although I personally love the design). It is one that gets easily overlooked but when it comes down to it it’s an excellent dram.
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No doubt about the bottle presentation – HP is top-notch in that regard! Masculine but classy, IMHO!
Cheers!
Reid
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Agreed – although I wouldn’t say no to one of these to serve it from 😉 http://bit.ly/29E1oSF
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