Highland Park completed its two-part series with this Highland Park 17 Years The Light, complementing The Dark. This time it was aged in American oak casks, trying to reflect spring and summer.
The bottle is actually more neutral than the marketing material suggests. There’s mostly a green tint towards the base.
Highland Park 17 yo ‘The Light’ (52,9%, OB 2018, 28.000 btl.)
Highland Park 17 yo ‘The Light’ (52,9%, OB 2018, 28.000 btl.)Nose: fresh orange blossom water and sweet orchard fruits (ripe peaches, pears, gooseberries). Sweet lime and blood oranges. Then vanilla, floral honey and oak shavings.
Mouth: sweet, with this very bright, summery fruity core again. Nectarines, yellow plums and berries. Even a light tropical touch of mango. Quite intense though, with a base of peppery oak and nutty notes, and maybe the lightest hint of smoke.
Finish: medium long and creamy, with hints of red apples and minty oak.
A summery but still punchy HP, nicely contrasting The Dark but also more predictable. The price is not so light though, alas. Available from The Whisky Exchange or Loch Fyne for instance.
Score: 87/100
By the way, Highland Park announced a Viking Soul Cask programme. As an Inner Circle member you can buy your own cask, bottled with personalised labels. For this they transfer the 12 Year Old at 58% into smaller casks for a (fixed) second maturation. You can get a firkin cask (+/- 50 bottles) for around € 6000 or a Quarter cask (+/- 125 bottles) for € 17.500.