My first Highland Park 18 year old dram!

Friday evening here in Vancouver BC Canada. As I promised myself, I opened my HP 18 year old tonight, and am just having my first dram. I am not very good at describing scents, bouquets, aromas, flavours etc. but I cannot imagine a more well balanced single malt than this. The aroma is wonderful! I spent about 5 min just sniffing the opened bottle, then another 5 min nosing it in the glass. This sort of brings together all of the good things I like about a scotch whiskey, and there is not too much of anything. Yet there is nothing I would get bored with. It can be a great drink before dinner, after dinner or just on it's own any time. There is a wonderful warmth as it goes down, but no painful burn. Absolutely marvelous. So far, my whisky collection includes: Macallan 12 year Sherry Oak, Highland Park 12 year, Laphroaig Quarter Cask, Laphroaig 18 year ( which I finally scored yesterday, and remains unopened!), Aberlour a'bunadh, and a Jameson 12 year old Special Reserve Irish Whisky. Since I have not yet opened the Laphroaig 18 year, the best one so far is this Highland Park 18 year old. It is also the oldest I have ever tasted, and I can't imagine that any older could possibly be better. I don't know if I will ever have the resources to find that one out! The Single Malt that I am still the most fond of is the Laphroaig Quarter Cask. I was absolutely fascinated with it from the moment I ever heard of it, and that fascination still applies. I always find a surprise when I drink that one! It is certainly never boring, definitely intense, but then it settles down to a lovely thick, creamy and sweet smoothy. Yet if you leave residue in the glass overnight, the glass smells like a dirty ashtray! Like I say, the Highland Park is so far the best, but the Laphroaig Quarter Cask is the one that steals my heart and I am most fond of. Wasn't this discussion supposed to be about Highland Park? See how easily I get side-tracked after a wee dram! Cheers, Carl