Tasting 4 Highland Parks from Blackadder

One distillery, one IB, hopefully some good whiskies! I'm as of now starting a series where I'll try to discover some of the characteristics in 4 of my fav distilleries, but relax, no Fettercairns this time. Starting with Highland Park, which over the years has proven to be of excellent class.



Highland Park 8yo 1989-1997 43% Blackadder cask#10035

From a sherry cask. Will this be like some of the youngsters from Macphail's Collection by G&M? I have not tried much diluted whiskies from Blackadder. The color is deep golden. It smells of sweet smoke, honey and cigar, licorice, vanilla, lilac berries, paint, lacquer, tropical fruitiness and hints of smoke, gotta love this. The taste is sweet, oloroso, ginger, peat, honey, waxy, burnt, peppery, red onions, garlic stew, salty, very interesting palate, seems much more matured than just 8yo. A peppery finish with hints of smoke and leather. A very nice surprise, and even though there are good vintages in the Macphail's Collection, this is steps ahead. I can't help wondering how this would be CS?

Wonderful HP, capable to bite against modern "luxury" versions: 7.5


Highland Park 20yo 1962-1983 43% Blackadder Limited Editions cask#2991,2992 btl.616/960

One of the best HP's I had was distilled in 1959, this one was distilled just three years later, I hope this one will be of comparable quality. The color is bleak golden. It smells of varnish, glue, paint, rubber, vanilla, wheat, white wine, peppery, papery, bitter herbs, soft smoke. Much lighter than the 8yo. The taste is oaky, zesty, junipers, honey, cinnamon, bitter, vanilla, burnt plastic, minty lozenges. Weird and sweet. The finish is light, short, peppery, plastic.

I had a bit higher expectations for this: 4


The Old Man of Hoy 10yo 55.8% Blackadder

The Old Man of Hoy are a scenic cliff on the beach on Orkney. Close to Highland Park, which makes me suggest this is not a Scapa. Pale white wine is the color. It smells of bitter, smoky, peaty, dark grapes, tannins, white grapes, vinegar, green apples. The taste is very sweet, vanilla, caramel, burnt, dark chocolate, ginger, stewed onions, cinnamon, bacon crisps, a very good one indeed. The finish is drying, smoky, oaky, bitter, some grassy notes, everything but fresh.

One for Orkney Masochists, an HP that hurts a bit: 5


Highland Park 16yo 1988-2004 56.1% Blackadder Raw Cask cask#11931

From a sherry butt. The color is dark brown. It smells of honey, peat, cream, cinnamon, oranges, licorice, butter, superb sherried whisky thus far. I must admit, this one reminds me of some of the more spectacular young sherried whiskies that ever was. The taste is sweet, cinnamon, oaky, tannins, heather, roquefort cheese, mustard, onions, leather, cigar smoke, dark grapes, red apples, syrup. This is a superb dark sherry-driven whisky. And affordable as well. Definitively a good step or two up from the A'bunadhs which makes up most of the affordable whiskies in this style today.

Superb sherry!: 9.5



Next tasting: Longmorn Distillery