The lowest strength of the Highland Park 25 olds, this bottling is amongst their finest, with as much balance as a blindfolded tightrope walker on dental floss. Lovely heather honey character.
The nose is a little more pungent than other Highland Park bottlings. Notes of soft peat and wood with oaked tannins. There is a thick honey in presence with notes of menthol, walnut and a herbal quality: fennel and grass. The palate is quite full with toffee and supple peat. A touch of winter spice develops with notes of oaky tannins to chew. The finish is warm and fiery with notes of spicy oak.
Heaven in a bottle what a dram
... The stars for previous review
Nothing, every element is spot on!!!
9/10. Honey and spice = winter warmth. The smell is a rich, comforting joy and it has a lovely long leather and spice finish. The 18yr gets all the press but I think this is way better - the higher ABV really helps. I have this sitting pride of place next to a Talisker 25 in the cabinet - depending on the weather, one or the other is bound to make my day.
We're young, but my husband still manages to be a bit of whiskey snob- he only drinks single malts and most of our collection is over an 18 year maturation. As such, his holiday gifts are frequently bottles of liquor. His first 25 was my wedding gift to him after he fell in love with a single glass at the local upscale bar. It took him almost exactly 2 years to finish it and so I've had to replace it with a second bottle. Having tried the 12 and the 30, the 25 is still his favorite, beating the macallans and balvenies on our shelf every time. Part of my own push to replace his bottle is that i've noticed it recently becoming more and more difficult to get in the states and after the HP promotion here is sold out on MoM. Hoping the next bottling is just as great as this one.
