Highland Park 30 Year

As my 200th review, I selected the 2019 bottling of Highland Park 30, bottled at 45.2%. Instead of purchasing a full bottle at the $1k+ price point, I acquired two one-ounce samples from The Whiskey Exchange for a good cost. Before opening, I gave my orange cat some wet food to pacify his inner Scar, who senses apprehension and waits to knock an unattended glass off the counter, like watching Mufasa fall before he runs off to celebrate his destructive success. With him satisfied after a cat's Thanksgiving feast, I opened the samples, poured them, and let them sit for about 30 minutes before returning to sample. The aroma is gentle and subtle, beginning with an immediate sherry wave, followed by cinnamon raisin cookies, then sea salt and mild smoke beneath notes of grilled peaches, sautéed caramel apples, and fresh figs. This shifts to faint floral hints and minerality before giving way to ginger, cloves, perfectly balanced aged oak, and leather, with a light ethanol sting. The flavor has a medium body, starting with sherry notes of chocolate-covered raisins and cinnamon sugar cookies, complemented by a base of sea salt and mild smoke. Beneath this are notes of grilled peaches, sautéed caramel apples, orange zest, and figgy pudding, leading to a gentle drying spice that fades into ginger, cloves, dusty old books, and slightly sooty aged oak, with a light ethanol burn. The finish is medium in length, featuring dark chocolate-covered raisins, caramel apple fritters, orange zest, sea salt, ginger, cloves, light peat smoke, leather, and slightly sooty oak. This is a beautifully crafted whisky, presenting a light, delicate, and balanced nose with a blend of sherry, orchard fruits, salt, smoke, and aged oak. This profile carries through to the palate, where sherry is prominent, followed by a background of sea and smoke with orchard fruits, evolving into a mild dry spice that concludes with sooty aged oak. The finish is medium with dark chocolate, sherry, orchard fruits, and sooty oak. While the balance is nearly perfect, my primary complaint is the subdued flavors, a thinner body, and a slightly tannic oak spice on the palate and finish. This could have been an exceptional whisky with a higher proof to enhance those flavors and improve its viscosity, but that's just my personal preference for higher proof spirits, particularly those over 50% ABV.

45.7% expression. I considered creating a new whisky, but it appears the distillers have allowed this issue to persist throughout the bottle's existence, and now the 46% version is available. I purchased this today and felt compelled to share my thoughts. I secured this bottle for $530 after tax. Essentially, the store had a promotion and wanted to sell off one or two bottles at cost, and I happened to be speaking with the right person on the right day. What an incredible bargain! Nose: Honey, a hint of oaky cough syrup, dark fruits (raspberry, dates, figs). The oak is now emerging, giving way to rum-soaked raisins and vanilla. It presents a nearly flawless, perfectly balanced sherry and oak aroma. I'm leaning slightly towards the sherry, as that's my preference, with some subtle salinity that I hope becomes more apparent as I drink it. Simply marvelous. Taste: Honey and vanilla persist, along with red fruits. The whisky then transitions into a peated and smoky profile, not overpowering, but definitely more of that assertive island character than anticipated. This is likely driven more by European oak casks than by peat. The initial impression is a sinfully rich, sherry-fruit and vanilla-infused delight that turns peaty, spicy, and just smoky enough towards the finish. I even detect notes of dark chocolate emerging in the finish. The alcohol by volume leaves this slightly less viscous than one might desire, but the rich oak and decades of infused sherry flavors create a surprisingly complex dram at under 46% ABV. It's actually surprisingly flavorful for a sub-50% dram. This is truly an explosion of flavor and aroma. So, the score? I'm pondering why it's not a perfect 5.0. The finish is incredibly long. The complexity is on par with anything. The balance is exceptional. It possesses EVERYTHING one seeks in a Scotch. There's even an alcohol bite at such a low ABV that I can't quite explain, but I appreciate it. The only drawback is the slightly light body and texture; it's a notch below the rare 5.0 scores I've awarded, and I feel I must deduct points there. I have three 5.0s, and one might not have been cask strength but was over 48% ABV. They all shared that complexity, finish, and a high level of balance, but they were a touch richer. Therefore, 4.75.

Nose: Salted caramel, peat, fruity sherry, subtle honey, toasted almond Body: Moderate Palate: Salted caramel, sherry, honey. The aromas and flavors closely align. Finish: Exceptionally, incredibly long. Smoky, salty, caramel. Note: Another sample from Jared. Given that Highland Park 18 is my favorite scotch, this is likely among my top single malts. Enjoyed neat. This is a very sophisticated single malt. Effortless to drink, no spice. The sweetness begins with a wonderful smoky, sea-salt caramel that endures indefinitely. It's exquisite.

Highland park 30 high spice, creamy, raisin, berry, cherry, high spice, dryness, some nice red fruits 2 oaky, flatness, bitterness, sourness 1.5 oaky, mid sustain 1.5 1.5 Margaret old bottle high spice, caramel, sweetness, intense honey, chocolate 2.25 intense richness, thick complexity, chocolate malty, barley, caramel, oaky and woody, bitterness. I guess for a thirty years, you get a real richness and thick malt caramel - very dense and intense but you must enjoy that caramel/maltiness to enjoy this bottle - however, not for me 2.25 oaky woody, thick malt 2.25 2.25

Wonderful harmony of lovely heather, floral notes, and sherry dominance. 45.7% abv release Smells like: Raisins, Plums, Lavender, Heather, Ham, Oranges, Dark Chocolate, Honey, Bananas, Toffee, Figs, Raspberries, Leather, Mangoes, Grapefruit Tastes like: Dark Chocolate, Salted Caramel, Luxardo Cherries, Dates, Prunes, Smoke, Chili Peppers, Raspberries, Blackberries, Almonds, Oranges, White Peaches, Salted Cod Leaves you with: Raisins, Dark Chocolate, Heather, Strawberries, Peaches, Cherries, Salted Caramel, Honey

Amazing! One of my top 3 30yo single malts. Lucky me, I snagged it for just 249€, though without the woodbox, I'll never see that price again. Drinking it makes you crave more until it's gone. Rich, fruity, allspice, aged wood, subtle smokiness, Finish: Lingering, coating, sweet, fruity, dry.