Highland Park 12 Year Old

Two days after trying the Islay Mist 8 blend, I took the plunge and opened up a bottle of HP12. It was telling me to open it, so I did.

Coming from Islay Mist 8 last night I was a little bit nervous, being that according to reviews - HP 12 was peated. And I must say, the peat blast I got from IM8 last night left me waking up with the taste of peat/smoke this morning. HP12 however is a very rewarding surprise, and here's why.

Legs: medium thick, and quite slow.

Colour is a nice light amber. Though in the bottle under white light appears to have a sea, yellow/green tinge to it. Intriguing. Either that or my eyes are playing tricks on me and I'm going crazy.

Nose - Butterscotch dipped in the slightest peat. Sweetness, gentle honey and creamy evaporating butter.

Palate - Sweet citrus and gentle spice on the tongue, following by a load of honey, welcoming peppery zing, warm entrance and expanding complexity. The everlasting honey is lingering and coating my mouth, when will it stop? Honeycombs are growing within my mouth now. Fantastic.

Finish - The finish take a quite a long time to arrive. This is amazing. Adding water just added more sweetness. The spice is hanging around very slightly as the honey works overtime. Now, just as I thought it was over, the peat comes back, but ever so gently I almost forgot it was there to begin with in the nose. Smokey oak wood makes an appearance several minutes since the last sip, and the peat now lingers, cruising around my taste buds, hanging around asking me, "want more?"

Conclusion - Who knew a bottle of scotch could make a man speechless... never say never. This is top stuff. Slightly reminiscent of Aberlour 12 (my first single malt) in the citrusy fruit department. However, this kicks it up big time, and adds a punch that Aberlour 12 lacked in finish and complexity. Must be kept in the cabinet at all times. 90 points.

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