Highland Park 10 Year

Nose: Malty, heathery, and slightly smoky with hints of orange and honey. There's also a whisper of the seashore with some light salty mineral notes floating around. Fresh, bracing, and invigorating. [The dry glass has a slight sooty honey aroma]. Palate: Heather smoke and a honeyed malt arrival that quickly develops into a full-bodied cereal taste with some bitter/sour citrus notes at the edges. It's crisp and clean with some spicy ginger notes and a little crème caramel towards the finish. Charming! Finish: Medium. The honeyed cereal character transitions into a delightful sweet barley sugar aftertaste. Overall, this is a very fresh, crisp, and almost disarmingly honest whisky captured in its early stage of maturity. The nose contains all the elements that will, with further maturation, evolve into the familiar Highland Park smoky-honeypot profile, but here it is beautifully contained in its vigorous, nascent form. The smoke, while subtle, is more prominent than you might expect and it works wonderfully. The palate is crisp and clean and has excellent texture - just slightly creamy and full of nutty hints. It is enticing and seductive neat, with no heat whatsoever, which is how I'd suggest enjoying it. Normally I add a small dash of water to my drams, but this simply doesn't need it. I can only imagine how addictive it would be at a lower proof, with more sweetness released. This is delicious whisky, and a bargain at the price. I actually prefer its slightly abrupt charm to the profile of the 12 year old, which has declined a bit lately. In fact (and this might cause a stir) I'll state directly that this is the best value Highland Park currently available, including all the special NAS releases and the other age statements up to and including the 18 year old. The 18 has more refinement, but it also costs about 3 times as much. You need to move up to the 25 year old to find something that surpasses this significantly, but by then you're paying about 10 times the price. Seriously, if you haven't tasted this, get a bottle - it's inexpensive and very good. Try it in a side-by-side tasting against some of the recent NAS expressions and prepare for a recalibration. The official tasting notes provided by Blair Phillips are accurate and perfectly summarize this whisky. Highly recommended. "Very Good": 86/100 (4 stars)

How about a small taste? This Highland Park 10 year single malt, single cask comes in at an almost unbelievable 129 proof! This is from the single cask collection and was chosen for the Tampa Bay Whiskey Society. In the glass, it's the palest straw color. A swirl reveals thick legs with a few slow drips. The nose on this is particularly challenging. The alcohol gets in the way if your nose gets too close! After an appropriate rest, it's wonderfully floral, with notes of honey, white bread, iodine, and more. It's complex and subtle. The first impression on the palate is sweet, and then it hits. The profile is immense! Technicolor! Everything from light peat smoke to wet wood, hard butterscotch candies, juicy fruit gum, clover, brine, and more is present. When I bought this at Gaspar's Liquor Shoppe in Tampa, I was advised that a drop of water acts as a catalyst for excellence with this pour, so I added a 1/2 teaspoon of chilled, distilled water to my glencairn. Yes! The entire experience becomes more cohesive. Grassy notes, honeysuckle, shortbread, ginger, clove, and more make an appearance. This is a dram that rewards patience and careful examination. I'm astonished by this whisky. It's awesome! Definitely not a sip for every palate, and certainly not typical of a top-shelf scotch, this is more akin to Godzilla taking over a distillery and tossing everything from the town into the pot. And it works! I rate from 1 to 5, with 5 being perfect. This isn't perfect, but it's darn good. Really, really darn good. 4.25/5

The initial time I sampled the HP10, it wasn't my favorite. Looking back, my dissatisfaction stemmed from the fact that it didn't quite resemble HP to me, lacking the dark fruit and pleasant peat of the 12 and 18 year old expressions. After trying it a second time, my view has shifted. The HP10 is distinct, but excellent in its own right. It is lighter and more citrus-forward, certainly, but the balance between the smoke and the fruit is classic HP. It also possesses some complexity. Most notably to me, the blend of fruitiness and oak imparts a characteristic flavor that originates directly from Speyside. This might not ever be my preferred HP, but it's intriguing, enjoyable, and a great value.

Primarily aged in Spanish oak, with a secondary maturation in American and Spanish casks. Initially produced solely for the Canadian market. A significant portion comprises spirits aged 15 years or more. Appears pale gold. Smell: Vanilla, with visible beads indicating good viscosity. Citrus aromas are present, reminiscent of Highland Park, with less smoke/peat in older expressions. The peat mingles with heather, imparting a honeyed sweetness, a signature characteristic of Highland Park. Taste: Aftertaste: Sweetness, honey, and dark chocolate. A woody presence. The sides of the tongue experience spice, akin to ginger. The tip of the tongue offers sweetness. Texture: 2/4 - light

I was drawn in by the excellent ratings for HP 12 and 18, so I decided to begin with the distillery's youngest malt. To be honest, it left me a little underwhelmed. It's a respectable whisky with a truly captivating aroma, but the taste is quite ordinary and unremarkable. I'm planning to try the HP 12 this week and sincerely hope for a better experience (85PLN, 0.35l).

Nose: light peat, orchard fruits, cocoa sensation, barely blackened oak, fresh honey. Mouth: honeyed pear, light peat, alcohol searching for itself, dust, almond peels, a little dried orange. Texture is a bit light without being watery, the alcohol makes everything a bit rough mid-sip but the flavors mentioned at the start mask it well.