Highland Park 18 Year

Four years ago, I was just beginning to explore very good whisky, whiskey, and bourbon. I wrote a very short and simple review for Highland Park 18 year, declaring it one of my top 10. My recent stroll down memory lane has sparked a desire for me to revisit some of my older reviews and well... re-review them. The aroma smells of deeper sweet notes surrounded by savory peat smoke. Not acrid in any way but more a savory, smoked pork shoulder type smoke. Bittersweet dark chocolate and cherry cordials set the stage for baking spices like cinnamon. The spice factor isn't sharp; it doesn't tickle the nose. And of course, the aroma ends on the aforementioned peat smoke. All of the scents are mellow and blend together beautifully. The front of the taste is sweet and creamy. Buttercream, honey, and dark chocolate. The peat smoke on the 18 year is quite a bit more pronounced than the 12 but it isn't at all intrusive. The salty, savory smoke underlies the mid-back half of the taste. Some zingy grapefruit adds a slightly citrusy twang mid-taste, and then baking spice pads the tongue, giving just the slightest tingle. The finish is dry and spicy but very soft and approachable. Baking spices keep the tongue tingle there along with tannic oak and leather. Soft as it may be, the finish is long and coats the tongue quite well. Although this is less sweet than I remember, this is still top 10 in my memory. It truly encompasses all of the flavors one might find in a top-shelf single malt, softens the edges, and blends them together expertly. Yeah, it is quite pricey, but at least Highland Park 18 isn't allocated and rarer than unicorn blood. If you can spring the cash, it's well worth the buy.

Revisiting this with written thoughts! The aroma begins with distinct cigar dottle, followed by sliced apples, a honey-nutty grain like honeycomb cereal (imagine mild honey with a hint of dry, earthy malt). Initially murky with the cigar notes, it now turns sweet, with the smoke receding to the background. After a bit longer, notes of warm, deep caramel and browned butter emerge. This is truly a delightful aroma. The taste is velvety and full, quite satisfying without being viscous or greasy. Gala apples shift into pears and cantaloupe, alongside crushed barley, creating a superb blend of fruit that strikes a perfect harmony between sour and sweet. A brief moment of sweetness on the palate gives way to a gentle yet noticeable hit of salty sea mist, providing a savory counterpoint to the fruit before quickly moving into a moderately lengthy finish. The fruit fades, but the cigar smoke reappears, revealing its continuous presence throughout, skillfully connecting the entire experience from the initial scent to the final impression. Exceptionally good, and a must-try for anyone who gets the opportunity.

Smell: deep dark meadowfoam honey. Vanilla creme brulee, blackberry compote. Dark chocolate caramel. Very faint ocean spray at the edges of the nostrils. Dark orange marmalade. Taste: dark caramel, sharp oak acidity, medjool dates, earthy sherry. Sea breeze salinity/minerality appears as it transitions to the finish. Gentle mild smoke throughout. Aftertaste: medium long, rugged maritime wood, earth after rain/smoldering, damp, wet, coastal bonfire. (Imagine the Oregon coast on an August morning at Ft. Stevens state park near Astoria as the fog and mist roll in with a light drizzle as you huddle in the canopy a couple meters away from the smoldering morning firepit). Lingering stone minerality.

This beauty was tough to put down, even after sitting a bit too long. Smell: sweet smoke, ocean mist, dark cherries, sugared orange peel, rich and damp sherry. Dark honey (like from carrots or meadowfoam), deep chocolate starts to show up with almost a dark vanilla bean? Taste: Mild, almost delicate peat. A pleasant sea spray throughout. Dark cherries show up again, along with the sugared orange peel. I've detected apple before but it's not as strong now. Aftertaste: gently hot, dark fruits, a delicate floral note persists. Fairly dry, medium duration.

Smell: light and gentle smoke, crisp apples, honey. A splash of sea spray. Hint of cinnamon and raisin. A gentle sweetness that isn't sickly or overwhelming. Taste: complex and deep. Honeyed malt, crisp orchard fruit. Gentle salinity, a very slight underlying hint of peat smoke that balances the fruitier elements. Dark fruit/earthy sherry influence. I'm detecting a more prominent influence of charred oak here than I recall, similar to the note from Glenfiddich's 14 y.o. Bourbon Barrel Reserve. Cinnamon spice. Incredibly smooth. Aftertaste: lightly spicy and warming oak tannin. Hints of sea spray.

Smell: fresh apple, a very mild coastal peat with a touch of sea air. Floral honey. Cinnamon, caramel, dried black cherries/plum. Refined. The sherry's impact is significant but not overly syrupy or earthy. Taste: a flavorful blend. Starts with a nice fresh orchard fruit/apple tone, moves to sweet caramel and vanilla in the middle, then a hint of candied orange peel balanced by a coastal sea breeze salinity and a bit of smoke. Aftertaste: mild saltiness, numbing oak tannin, warm and moderately long.