Highland Park 25 Year

So, I bought this bottle over 6 months ago with the intent of not opening it and hoping it would turn into a bit of an investment at some point. My dad visited me in late summer and after an evening of heavier than usual sipping he grabbed this bottle from the bar and tried to get me to open it. I convinced him that it would’ve been wasted in our inebriated state and returned it to the bar. Fast forward to earlier this month, I took the bottle with me when I went to visit my dad in hopes we could find a reason to get into it. He flat out declined and we went off to play a round of golf. Well, low and behold, I was able to bear witness to my 68 year-old father getting his first ever Hole In One. So, obviously, this bottle had to be opened in celebration. Congrats again, Dad! I have since poured this one four times over the last 3 weeks and I feel like I’m ready to get my thoughts down on it. So, here we go... This Highland Park 25 Year Old malt comes in at a slightly raised ABV (45.7%) and is an oily, golden yellow in the tasting glass. The legs were slow forming and thin and each spin let off a bit more of the amazing aroma. Granted, I had to let this one sit over 30 minutes to get it to open up properly. But, open up it did! This has an amazing nose on it. It starts with a big, bittersweet chocolate note. The heavy sherry influence is always present but the highlight was the toffee covered dark berries. Fresh picked raspberries and blackberries greet the well-trained and refined nose and there’s a nice hint of rich, dried tobacco. It is truly mesmerizing and the highlight of this dram. It’s an all day sniffer if there ever was one. The palate delivers heavily with sweet sherry, caramel and honey and that satisfying roasted cocoa again. The initial mouthfeel is rich. I didn’t get much of anything that resembled peated malt, but the whole sip was very warming, albeit drying at the same time. I expected the lower ABV to lead more towards an oily overall feel, but it didn’t materialize. It actually dried quite quickly. More so than I would’ve preferred. The finish is also pretty sweet, turning this whole thing into a true dessert dram. A flash of peppery oak fades into a somewhat mellow and short final blast. Those first-fill Oloroso casks do a bit of an overpowering job on the complexity here, IMO, but the chocolate and sherry do linger on until you rinse it away or go in for seconds. My overall impression is that I don’t think it beats out what I remember best about the 18 year old- and that’s disappointing considering the lofty price point here ($525). It’s still a wonderful whisky and showcases the best of Highland Park, but I really would’ve liked a layer of peat and perhaps a slightly higher ABV to really seal the deal. I believe older bottlings were above 50% and I think that would’ve really benefited this one, too. If just to offer up a bit of a punch to counter the sweetness. If the 18 is a 99/100 then this one falls a bit short at a 92-93, I think. It’s still close to a 5 star dram just because of the rarity and the pedigree, but if you’re looking for bang for your buck I think I’d stick with the 18 for now. I’m still going to be sorry when this bottle is gone, but I doubt I’d replace it or even go for the 30 year. The 18 year old at $130 is a freaking steal. Let’s hope HP doesn’t do away with that one for the foreseeable future. Cheers, my friends. PS- Thanks for sticking with this lengthy review. Give yourself a gold star if you made it here.

Its the last Friday before Christmas. I find my self for the monent in a quiet house. The calm before the storm. Some pensive time with an mature scotch. What a perfect moment to sip and enjoy. A beautiful, rich amber color starts the show. A soft but pronounced nose. Sherry prominent. Sultanas, figs, banana. Spice of cinnamon, sweetness of brown sugar and butterscotch (or toffee). That is out of the gate. Let it sit for the well deserved time to give this old man whisky to awaken (a good 25 plus minutes). Bitter chocolate and that scent of a freshly opened cigar, just before it’s lit. Oranges with nutmeg (Orange Fruit Clove Spice, like you made in elementary school for Christmas). I almost do not want to sip it as I can nose this all day. This comes to the palate in gentle arrival in a silk like body. There are flashes of toffee sweetness but fades almost as quickly. Glimpses of dark chocolate and toasted coconut that return to the sweet vanilla and toffee arrival. The palate is somewhat short and very rapid in its transitions amongst the flavors, which is somewhat surprising given the age. The finish is the strength of this whisky. Orange bitters with a cinnamon spice tickle. Oak drying tannins suck the moisture from the palate. The mouth is last left with cloves and toffee that seems to go on forever. This whisky is one to sip, reflect, and stop time while doing so. The strength in Highland Park is with their core range / aged statement whiskies. They just do it right. Their recent dabbling is NAS whiskies, in my opinion, is a distraction from what they do right; their NAS leave much to be desired. For the price, I would undoubtedly always purchase their 18 year old expression as the quality per price cannot be beat. This 25 year old, though fantastic, is in that unreachable price point for many. And for me, I greatly appreciate the opportunity @LeeEvolved afforded me with the chance to sample this scotch. I almost certainly would never have had the chance. And on this (almost) Eve before Christmas Eve; to the members of the SDT, thank you all for many an opportunity. Cheers and much health and happiness! [94/100][Tasted: 12/22/17]

Part three of the “Premium Highland Park samples from Lee” series of reviews. Tonight is the vaunted 25 year old. This is basically the same stuff as the 18 year old but with a higher proportion of first fill sherry casks. Bottled at 45.7% ABV, natural color of dark copper and most likely non chill filtered. The nose is all sweet sherry at first. Sweet, but not too sweet. It’s elegant. Full of warm wood and lovely fruits. Lots of cherries, oranges and raisins. Almonds, marzipan, maple syrup, toffee and sherry. Furniture polish but in a good way. Very light mint, more cherries and dark toffee. Mocha, chocolate and savory tobacco. Honey, vanilla and a bare thread of smoke. There is a slight alcohol note but otherwise this is a fantastic nosing whisky. The palate begins, unfortunately, with some bitter oak. It’s follows the nose with cherries, almonds and marzipan. Oranges, tobacco, very light smoke and sherry. It’s also slightly astringent with a little pepper. I have to say it is surprisingly lacking in depth given its age, but the flavors it does have are strong. A medium bodied mouthfeel that is very oily, mouthwatering and mouth coating. A medium short finish that is mostly bitter oak with cherries and sherry. I will give this warning to anyone who has the opportunity to try this one...NO WATER! I had a bit left in my glencairn, about a quarter ounce or 15mL and decided to try a bit of water to see if it helped with the bitterness. Killed the nose and did nothing for the bitterness. While this is 25 year old does not have the best nose on a whisky I’ve ever had, it is still fantastic. The mouthfeel is luxurious. It’s a shame the palate and finish lessened all the good things leading up to them. If I had paid the $600 that this goes for around here I would have been a little disappointed. But at that price it’s hard to justify anyways. I’m incredibly lucky to have tried some at all and immensely grateful for my friend @LeeEvolved who sent me this sample. 4.5 stars Cheers

Nose - Sherry notes, a touch of brine, salt, peat, a very craft baked bread. This is the nose of scotch, it's got everything you'd get in almost any top expression. If you love peat, there's a drop or two of it. If you love sherry, that's here in full force. The malt notes give it balanced sweetness. Taste - Oak and vanilla up front and then give way to sherry fruits, spices, and then finishing with some peat and overwhelming just oak leathers and antique furniture. Water brings out more of the fruits and moves the sweet vanilla notes back. Finish - this just heats the mouth with oak spice, sherry, and it just has a nice friendly old oak finish. HP 25 has everything, a reasonable ABV, great mouth feel, a bit of peat, great sherry, and that old oak and leather finish. If you're looking to take the step into 25 year old scotch and spend into that 400+ barrier I can't think of a better "starter" scotch to get there. It's just a complete experience of the world of scotch. I can see why some have given this a perfect score and why I have friends who buy multiple bottles a year. For me I'm just waiting a bit more peat or a bit more sherry for a 5. The middle of the road direction HP takes makes it the most approachable and step into the higher end pool but for me the 5's are more focused on one area and they perfect at that.

This is the 45.7% ABV version. No water needed for this gem. Colossal thanks to @LeeEvolved for the sample. Oh man, this offering just leaves you almost speechless. The nose brings deep dark fruits with sweetness, bourbon, floral heather, cinnamon, and sherry. The palate has tropical notes of coconut, pineapple, oranges, dark chocolate, plus everything you get from the 18. It's like the Balvenie 14 Caribbean Cask on steroids. Some people are turned off by the bitterness in this glass, but I applaud its existence because I actually thinks it helps with the balancing of the sweet and savory factors there as well. The price at 600 American is on the high end to me. If it was 300-400, I'd say it would be more worth it, but we are talking about 25 year old whisky here. The finish is a little too dry for my taste. The theme of this dram should be something epic. "The Gates of Delirium" by Yes seems fitting. 4.75!

If you've ever seen a tai chi fighter, this is like that: silky smooth, light but with density, and powerful without coming across as such. Balanced: that's the word of the day when it comes to HP25. If I thought the HP18 was balanced, this redefines the meaning. Personally I thought the nose was the best part here---similar to its younger sibling, but more refined, which I guess is to be expected with 7 more years in maturity. Silk on the palette, viscous and oily. If I'm going to split hairs, it's on the finish..a bit bitter, just a tad wee bit. At its current market price, not sure I'd buy this over 18, since the differences in my opinion don't justify the leap in cost. But if I'm looking to cash in on a tax refund ( Thank you President Trump, at least until 2025), than this would be one of the top 5 in purchase lineup. Thanks to LeeEvolved for this sample!