Highland Park Ice Edition

Part two of the “Premium Highland Park samples from Lee” series of reviews. Tonight is the 17 year old Ice Edition, which was released before the Fire Edition I reviewed last night. This single malt from Orkney was matured exclusively in ex bourbon casks without a hint of sherry. Bottled at cask strength of 53.9% ABV, natural color of yellow gold, and even though it’s not stated, it is non chill filtered. ACHTUNG!: Not giving this one time to breathe will result in a model glue note on the nose. Please give it at least 5-10 minutes. The nose starts off soft and floral. Heather honey and honeysuckle. It quickly turns fruity. Starting with apples and pears, but it soon makes a sharp transition into oranges, tangerines, apricots, melon. Then another switch to tropical fruits, pineapple and mango. Some light vanilla and caramel, very light smoke. More smoke than the Fire Edition, but that really isn’t saying much. Bourbon like notes emerge with warm oak, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. Toffee and light mocha show next. Being cask strength I had to add some water to see what else was hiding. I found that toasted coconut was revealed along with more floral notes and vanilla custard. A somewhat hot arrival on the palate, but with it comes huge amounts of fruits. Mango, papaya, pineapple, grilled apricots, and some oranges. Pepper and a very light smoke, still not on the level I’ve come to expect from HP, but still it’s there. A light salty note, toasted coconut and tangerine. When water is added it really reminded me of Bowmore Gold Reef, just with much less peat. Quite good, but too strong to drink more than an ounce without the addition of water. The mouthfeel is full, oily, thick, mouth coating and a bit dry. The finish is medium long, spicy, fruity and salty-sweet. Much better than the Fire Edition, but still the peat smoke is nowhere near where I would like it. Perhaps it’s just the age of the whisky or the sheer intensity of the fruits overpowering it. The nose does not prepare you for the intensity that is delivered on the palate. Not even close. Personally, I feel cask strength is too much here and taking it down to 48% may have been a better decision. But what do I know? Having seen how pure ex bourbon maturation affects HP, I now know that sherry casks are a necessity. They really add a layer or three of complexity that is lost without them. Like the Fire Edition, this is $300. $200 too much if you ask me. Still, it’s a good scotch and I would take this over the Fire any day. A solid 4. Thanks again @LeeEvolved Cheers

The proper way to start this review is to tell you that this one will be on my top ten list of 2020. Highland Park Ice Edition is not only marvelous well crafted to actually feel "cold", but it is also a rewarding dram. Even the bottle is amazing. Actually i had the fire edition first, (which was released after this ice edition) and even if i did not like that one too much, i recognized that HP made a whisky that tasted like a volcano; and now that i have had the Ice one, everything fits perfectly, this distillery gave us a cold dram and a hot spicy dram and called them ice and fire. I applaud them. Having said all that, this beautiful green bottle comes on a mountain shaped case. It symbolizes the "fittingly chilly reflection of Nilfheim, one of the nine worlds of old Norse mythology and the birthplace of ice, frost and fog". Bottled at 53.9%abv On the nose is outstanding. Uncorking gives you this whisky mixed with ice and mineral water aroma. First sniff is all about salt and vanilla. Lemon meringue, no alcohol note; there is a COLD PEAT note, it is the only way i can describe it. Vanilla ice cream: Whenever a whisky feels cold it is always vanilla ice cream. The peat is present is a fashionable fancy way. Fancy citrus. The same scorched ground like in the Highland Park fire, but like frozen. Got to say they offered fire, they delivered, they offered ice, they also delivered. This are collection items but for the critics, they nailed it. Pineapple and tropical fruits. A little ashy. It is clear that they made this one first, and saw the "frozen properties of it" named it "ice edition" and then released the fire edition one. After first sip it gets more citrusy, lemon. Dulce de leche. And that was the nose. Palate is a little more "human" but also great. Dulce de leche (toffee), Pepper Another spice bomb, but pleasant. Mint liquor, Tobacco and Ashes. Prunes. Its like a powerful pepermint breath candy. Aftertaste is sooooo rewarding. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Peat, Pepper, Ashes. Dry grasses, Tobacco. Puffs of smoke. So amazing freaking finish, so rounded, makes you lick your theet afterwards. So, this was amazing. Truly an enjoyable whisky, absolutely recommended, go buy it, at least for the beautiful bottle. Incredible dram, 98 over 100. Sláinte Mhath.

This is the Fire Edition's companion whisky from Highland Park. The Ice Edition came first, back in 2016. It was aged in first fill, ex-bourbon casks for its entire 17 years in existence. It's non-chill filtered, has no coloring added and was bottled at a robust, cask strength of 53.9% ABV. It's light gold and has quick-forming legs in the tasting glass. The packaging is over the top, like the Fire version. A heavy pale, greenish-blue bottle fitting in a natural oak, mountain-shaped case. The nose is the star of the show here: once you get past the fresh oak you are rewarded with a wonderful medley of pineapple and tropical fruits. What seems like smoked plantains also floats around the glass and if you inhale deeply you get some peppery ginger notes right before the powerful ABV takes hold. It's incredibly complex when you find the sweet spot. There's a nice vanilla creaminess upon sipping. Smoky oak embers quickly get seized by the powerful burn at mid-sip. At this point it becomes a drying, hot mess. This is where any resemblance to any other Highland Park whisky disappears. It becomes an American bourbon/rye whiskey clone, IMO. The finish is long and hot. That freshly split and charred oak take over and it isn't until the last gasps of breath reveal the remnants of those tropical fruits I detected on the nose. Once you know how the sip is going to play out, it's really enjoyable. That first sip is quite shocking. Overall, this blows everything you expect from a Highland Park away and starts a new chapter of what they could produce and release regularly. Some won't like this because it's so different. Is it worth the $300 entry fee? No, but I'm happier with this one than I am the Fire Edition. 3.5-3.75 stars. Cheers.

Wooo! Now we're onto something. After trying the Fire, I was ready for a lot of Ice. Another damn fine sample from @LeeEvolved and wow he's got great taste. The nose brought out some intense tropical notes like coconut, pineapple, cherries, pears, vanilla, along with woody elements too. The palate is the perfect combo of salty brine and sweetness, mixed with some pinot grigio. Not sure why they call it "Ice", because I think more of "Earth" and the islands. Doesn't sip hot neat for its ABV, but can handle a couple drops of water. The finish is creamy and full of vanilla and herbal notes, but medium length. I wish it as a bit longer indeed! Makes me wonder if they did a 53.9 ABV for 2 extra years version of their Fire, what would it be like?? 4.5 to me, and the theme of the dram is "Immigrant Song" by Led Zeppelin.

Tasted blind, I'd never have guessed this was a HP. I'd probably think it was a Highlander or Speysider, well aged, but definately bourbon casks. Thanks to my friend Lee, I got to sample this beauty. Toasted corn on the nose, with a slight burn if you whiff it too much. Probably a function of that high ABV. Now on the palette, I get an initial HP DNA, but it quickly disappears into a more bourbon-esque taste. A very different profile for HP. I like this better than the Fire, from what I remember at least. If this was about $150, it's a no brainer. At close to $300, I'm not convinced I'd choose this over the amazing 18 yr old. Thanks Lee for the sample!

Terribly disappointing for something so expensive. It's good whisky, but not $450 CAD good. PROS: the most amazing mouthfeel you will ever experience. It's full, thick - almost creamy and outstanding. The nose has hints of tropical fruits that are quite pleasant, and the palate is complex with fruit, vanilla and cinnamon. There's hardly any peat, unusual for an HP, which isn't necessarily a bad thing – just unusual. CONS: The finish is quite strong on spice, almost to the point of unbalancing the dram - water will go a long way, especially considering how high it's ABV is. Conclusion, I liked it, but I didn't love it.