Highland Park 12 Year Old

Highland Park 12 year old was yet again, another great delivery by the Highland Park. I dare to say it's one the best in it's price range and it managed to surprise me positively. For me, Highland Park is probably the best distillery outside Islay at the moment.

It was a good combination of delicate sweetness and soft but tasty flavors in nice balance. Highland Park 12 yrs also introduced a bit of it's edgy side with some wee smoke and peppery notes. This 12 year old whisky was just like a good dark comedy.

That's why I had to find my reference from the kings of dark comedy, the Coen brothers. The Big Lebowski is similar to Highland Park 12 year old's enjoyable simplicity and roughness on the side.

The storyline of The Big Lebowski is simple yet not the most everyday ordinary story. And in some levels it's complex like every Coen brothers movie. The same description fits with Highland Park 12 as well.

All the Highland Park's products I've tasted so far seem to have a bit of "Dude" Lebowski's character. They are bit rugged, bit on the soft side and very reasonable/coherent.

Nose: Very fresh aromas of honey, citrus and barley with floral notes. Slightly on the peaty side as well. Delicate and clean.

Taste: Toast, honey and oranges clash nicely together with some herbal notes. Hints of sweet peat.

Finish: Nicely long with the effect of spices and wood. I also detected some subtle smoke that gave the finish some nice edge.

Balance: Full body with sweet and earthly tastes and aromas mixed nicely together. Great whisky especially in it's price range. Manages to follow the good 'track record' of Highland Park in my book.

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