Over the next couple of weeks you can expect somewhat of a Highland Park-theme. I’ll review the new Dark Origins, the Ambassador’s Choice (which was originally released for the Swedish market) and I’ll review a couple of the age statement offerings from the distillery.
Today I start my Highland Park journey with a review of the 10yo, a fairly new expression that was released last year in The Netherlands. It is only available in 35cl bottles and costs less than 20 euro, making it an easy to try whisky for people wanting to familiarize themselves with Highland Park without breaking the bank.
Highland Park 10yo (40%, OB)
Nose: Honey, caramel, ripe banana and vanilla are the most dominant flavours in the nose. There is a subtle peat aroma accompanied by a light, salty sea breeze.
Taste: Sweetness at first, with honey and apricot marmelade. A hint of bitterness, as well as some peat smoke and licorice.
Finish: Surprisingly short and weak. Sweet licorice.
Rating: 78
A whisky that won’t scare any potential Highland Park-fans away. It is accessible and goes down easy, but has no complexity and a finish that comes up short.
The 10yr is also available in Canada in a 75cl format (for ~$60 CAD); but I agree, it isn’t as good as the older whiskies in the HP range, but given that it was also released at 40% ABV as opposed to 43%, may have had something to do with the slightly disappointing result.