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Highland Park 1990/2010 20 Year old

A 20-year old weakling

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@Pierre_WReview by @Pierre_W

14th Dec 2013

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  • Nose
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  • Taste
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  • Finish
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  • Balance
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  • Overall
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Highland Park distillery is located in Kirkwall on Orkney and is Scotland’s northernmost whisky distillery. It was founded in 1798, presumably by Magnus Eunson; however the distillery did not obtain a license until 1826. Apparently the name of the whisky produced does not refer to the area of Scotland known as The Highlands but rather to the fact that the distillery was founded on an area called “High Park”. Highland Park is one of only a few distilleries where the custom of turning malt by hand still takes place, with some 20% of the malt used coming from Orkney. This 20-year old was first released in 2010 and was originally created for distribution through global travel retail. According to Highland Park the proportion of first-fill European sherry casks is higher than in expressions of comparable age.

The nose is quite fruity, with dried fruits and oranges playing the leading roles. There are also hints of nutmeg and peaches.

The palate is light-bodied and spicy. Caramel and vanilla are followed by a nice nuttiness.

The finish is of medium length, remains spicy and gets quite dry towards the end. Again, there is a healthy dose of caramel.

I am not sure about this one. The nose seems reasonably complex but I cannot get rid of the feeling that it is all a bit bland. The palate was definitely too light in my opinion – has anyone thought about bottling this at 46% ABV? A fair number of reviewers detected smoke in this whisky, I did not. This was an underwhelming experience. I do expect a little bit more from a 20-year old.

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4 comments

Rigmorole commented

It's too bad HP always has such weak ABV. I just can't bring myself to buy the 25 year at such a low ABV. I would otherwise.

10 years ago 0

@sengjc
sengjc commented

Managed to get a bottle for a (relatively) good price here in AUS - a local retailer was doing a special for AUD$120 per bottle if purchased in two or more bottles.

Agreed that the 40% does leave much to be desired.

10 years ago 0

@Pierre_W
Pierre_W commented

@Rigmorole, I think that actually the 25yo is bottled at a higher ABV, more like 48%. But the 12yo with 40% and the 18yo with 43% are definitely too low in my opinion. Pity!

10 years ago 0

@vanPelt
vanPelt commented

Thanks for the review and discussion! Both helped me decide that I would like to try it, but for a full bottle investment I will be looking elsewhere. Very much agreed about the 40%. I had a sip of the more recent 'Einar' (40%) next to a higher ABV Bowmore, and it's clear that HP is sacrificing a lot in terms of mouthfeel and other sensations.

9 years ago 0

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