Highland Park 1995 (Single Malts of Scotland)

Highland Park is a regular in the independent bottlings by The Whisky Exchange. Let’s find out how this 13 year-old “duo cask” bottling compares to the OB profile…

Highland Park 13yo 1995 (46%, Single Malts of Scotland 2009, cask #470 & #471, 770 btl.)

Nose: very natural with a kind of mineral profile. Lots of typical heathery notes. Hints of fresh green tea with citrus. There’s a distinct waxiness as well. Very delicate wood smoke, peat and a little honey. Clean and youthful.

Mouth: lemon juice with a green, vegetal edge (like chewing on a citrus seed by accident). Hints of marmelade, although not very sweet. A kind of lavender / soapy edge as well that I’ve never encountered in a Highland Park before (interesting but not entirely to my liking, I’m afraid). Getting drier and quite bitter (grapefruit, unripe oranges) towards the end.

Finish: medium long, mostly on grapefruit with a peppery tang.

This is certainly not a usual Highland Park. Good nose, but it’s missing some trademark honey sweetness, and I’m afraid many people will find it a tad too bitter on the palate. If you want to broaden your view on HP however, this could be an interesting bottle. Around € 52.

Score: 81/100