Tasting Notes: Highland Park 12

Highland Park is that northern-most Scottish distillery, located in the Orkney Islands, that gets constant mention and conistent praise within the Scotch enthusiast and expert community. While the vintage releases and older expressions are favored by longtime drinkers, the younger bottlings get credit for being both balanced and unique, as well as being a great way to step up to a more interesting (and/or peated) class of Scotch whisky for those who are otherwise content with the high-volume Speysides.

Highland Park uses Sherry maturation, though never overpowering any of its standard releases with it, and a heathery-peat smoked barley, as well as hard water, to craft their exceptional whiskies. And the 12 year, though rising in price of late, still costs near the $40 mark. At that price, this is an excellent deal.

Abv: 43%

Color: deep orange amber.

Legs: medium sized beads, quite slow indeed.

Nose: honey, burnt butter, whiff of smoke, heathery flowers, mixed berries.

Palate: there is a honeyed, soft maltiness right away, with very nice flavor movement toward a complex melange of wood smoke (like burning oak twigs), heather, citric fruits, and mixed spices.

Body: medium with a nice, quiet oiliness.

Finish: medium-to-long; quite nice with lingering maltiness, spices, and smoke.

Overall: Accessible to the beginner (i.e. smooth) with a balanced complexity for the enthusiast, the youngest standard expression of this Orcadian distillery tastes exceptionally well-crafted. There is just enough (heathery) peat, sherry maturation, local terroir, and oceanic influences to create a well-rounded and yet interesting whisky. No flavor is out of balance, and the total experience is impressive. At $35–40 for 750 ml, this might be one of the best deals in whisky.