I had a great session with some older sherried HP's from Grdon & Macphail's Cask series a while back. All above 8 points. 4 young ones from the same series in this session, but I have no clue what wood is used. And two older ones to get them going.
Highland Park 23yo 50% Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask
Not that many HP's in this range, strange as sherried casks seems to be their speciality. The color on this one is dark amber. It smells honey, cinnamon, barbecue sauce, mustard, toffee, vanilla cream, hot chocolate, phenolic, swiss cheese, musty, most certainly a rather active sherry cask. The taste is caramel, honey, spicy cinnamon, chili, peat, leather, oak, musty, dry cider, tannic. Unmistakably a sherried Highland Park. The finish is peppery, rubber, earthy, bitter, lime rind.
Old school sherry bomb: 7
Highland Park 30yo 48.1% OB
I've tried the 40yo and was quite satisfied, but even more so with the 25yo, will this be a mix between the two? The color is brown-orange, sort of dirty looking. It smells of sweet cinnamon, gingerbread, honey, butter, raisins, wheat buns, fresh pastry, vanilla sugar, pear drops. The taste is smoky, peppery, honeyed, cinnamon, a bit lower sherry profile on this one, sweeter, lighter than the DL. Some nutty, sweet vinegar, grassy, austere, not too pleasant I'm afraid. Or, wait, let me rephrase that, it's just a bit too pleasant. This lacks some real coastal aromas and maybe some peat, reminds me of some light sherried speysiders.
This is not value for money in my opinion, but a very fine whisky it is: 6
Highland Park 12yo 1982-1994 56.9% Gordon & Macphail Cask cask#784,785,786,788
Four different casks mixed together in this one, anyone knows what happened to #787? The color is amber golden. It smells of sea salt, seaweed, white pepper, onion, honey, mashed potatoes, peppery, earthy, clay, orange zest, dark minced meat, garlic, lamb stock. The taste is sweet, vanilla, peppery, PEATY(!), like some Islay peat in this one, Lagavulin and Ardbeg comes to mind, butter, raw onions, coriander, lemon grass, black pepper, this is a whisky that seems to come from another Island, really a great macho peat-bomb. Much to my liking. Maybe HP is a bit like Laphroaig, it used to taste more of peat a couple decades back.
This style should be re-invented on Orkney: 9
Highland Park 10yo 1983-1993 58.6% Gordon & Macphail Cask cask#884,887
100 casks later, let's buy another one, but it seems they've bottled it a year earlier. I'm hoping for another excellent HP. Amber color, a bit darker than the 1982. It smells of peat, honey, cigar smoke, burnt oak, spirity, cauliflower mash, cream, bitter, vodka, cranberry juice, earthy. The taste is caramel, dark chocolate, honey, ripe oranges, nectarine, peppery, blueberry jam, dark grapes, where the 1982 excelled on both levels, this one is quite better on the palate, but what a palate! The finish is peaty, peppery and a lot of dry cinnamon and camphor.
The palate is of the best kind, can't go any lower on this one: 9
Highland Park 10yo 1989-1999 60% Gordon & Macphail Cask cask#2871,2872
Another one from this great series. More close to the modern HP's as its distilled in closer proximity to now? Some cask sediments in this one, did G&M pull a Cadenhead's? The color is white wine. It smells of vanilla, wheat, rye, spirity notes, gasoline, burnt oak, austere, some young Ledaig have shared some of the difficulties this one struggles with. Obviously from a very lazy cask. The taste is warming, sweet, vanilla, honey, watermelon, white grapes, more vanilla, flour sugar, meringues, butter, cream, butter and sugar mixed, this superb sweet spirit, even though its not very complex it has this sweet zing which really makes it stand apart from many others. The nose then, its a bit of a freak-show.
Good and interesting palate, but it smells of new-make: 6.5
Highland Park 9yo 1987-1997 63.7% Gordon & Macphail Cask cask#15474,15475,15476,15477,15490,15491,15492
Seems the first batch of these casks #15474-15477 were distilled in july 1987, whilts the rest were distilled in october 1987, which means not all whisky in this bottling was bottled 10yo. The color is light golden. It smells of moss, wet grass, spirity, burnt, austere, seaweed, honeysuckle, butter, burnt orange zest, peat smoke, damp, ashes. Remember, this is 63%abv, and for that, this is very little spirity. The taste is peach, pears, watermelon, vanilla, hay, very sweet and light, one of those active young bourbon cask(s)? It's sweet, light, fruity, and far from what you might initially think when seeing a whisky over 60%abv. In this session it reminds me mostly of the 16yo OB, without the off-notes.
Light and easy HP, but dangerous: 6
Next tasting: Strathisla Distillery
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