HIGHLAND PARK 1989 29YO - GORDON & MACPHAIL CONNOISSEURS CHOICE

After a detour to Speyside during my last review, we're now back on Orkney with that very highly marketed Viking Pride/Honour/Raven/Axe wielding distillery, Highland Park.

For this review we're staying with Gordon & MacPhails revamped Connoisseurs Choice series, relaunched as a part of the 50th anniversary of the first release of the series.

Highland Park has long been a favourite of mine and was one of the first whisky with just a little peat I started drinking back in my baby whisky years just after the turn of the Millenia. The distillery's got a very dedicated following on Facebook in the group 'Highland Park Appreciation Society' and now seems to be releasing single cask expression every other week. - How dare you? Think of how you're ruining the economy of those poor collectors!!??!! ;-)

Releasing single casks on a regular basis is one thing that has changed, but I also think something else has changed, sadly... and thats the casks they're using at HP - and probably also at Macallan, another Edrington great that uses predominantly sherry casks.

Now, I'm very sensitive to sulphur and seem to, in all the single casks I've tried since they started to come out, detected a variating degree of sulphury notes as well an vinegary edge to the sherry and to be honest I'm very sad to see this. This is probably due to a shortage of proper sherry casks these days, but still I feel its taking a wrong turn...

I know Edrington has long term contracts with a cooperage in Spain and promotes their wood policy (Highland Park - Spanish Wood Story on Youtube) and this is just me (and a few other critical voices) and many others doesn't seem to pick up on this. Whether they just can't taste it or they don't want to alienate themselves with the brand. I think the question here is if the cooperage is cutting corners with the quality of the sherry used for the maturation or if the sherry used for seasoning doesn't manage to draw out the unwanted very woody notes that comes from the fresh cask?? Certainly, the HP devotees in the before mentioned Facebook group doesn't seem to either mind or be able to taste this - some even praises this style :-O

Now, before you flame me for this statement, mind you, this is my taste (and a few others I've seen mentions of online) so lets leave it at that - I just feel sad that HP as I know it has pretty much disappeared over the last decade or so - as even the 12 and 18 standard bottlings are now showing traces of this, IMO...

In February 2019, I'll be revisiting Highland Park after a tasting I've put together with Distillery bottlings vs. Independent bottling, much more on how I think Highland Park is doing after that.

Right, rant over...

Let's get back to speaking of independent Highland Parks and this one from Gordon & MacPhail, who by the way, usually supply their own casks to be filled with new make spirit.

Stills at Highland Park, August 6th 2009 © The Malt Desk

Highland Park 1989 29yo 57% (07.03.1989/18.09.2018) Refill sherry butt#1087, 611 bottles, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice

Nose:
Quite a sweet sherry coating dominates this, I think... Underneath though, there's plenty of charred oak, some mushroom earthy notes, honey glazed meat, dark overripe fruit and a floral note trying to come through... Pretty much standard Highland Park, right? Maybe expect for the heavily charred oak.

Taste:
The no-water experience on the palate was a bit of a let-down! However... Just Add Water!

This one comes alive indeed with water. I getting into the territory of the old Original Bottling of HP 25, just amplified a bit due to the higher alcohol strength - We are, however, not quite there...

I get most of the classic HP traits as we did on the nose - the honey, the floral and dark fruit notes, charred and peaty notes, but the cask both the sherry and oak here is taking this one over a bit - especially the charred note reminds me a bit much of a BBQ event where the BBQ master is more busy drinking beer than tending to the grill ;-)

Like I said, give this one a teaspoon of water if you've poured yourself a 25-30ml dram and watch a little magic happen! Everything is amplified and your sherried Highland Park comes out - proper sherry - not the vinegar sherry style the newer Original Highland Parks carry these days! it'll lift not only the spirit in the glass but also your own experience of this HP!

87/100!

HIGHLAND PARK 2003 12YO - DISTILLERY BOTTLING FOR BRAUNSTEIN & FRIENDS

Its been a while since the last update here on The Malt Desk itself. As always other stuff (life) seems to interfere incl a 10 day trip to Scotland (Speyside & North Highlands) did provide for updates for The Malt Desk's Facebook page and Twitter (@themaltdesk)

But there has also been a streak of writers block much derived from some of the things happening with whisky at the moment but I will not get into that in this post...

In March this year, at the Danish Whisky Fair, plans were revealed to me that Highland Park try and return to their roots and start doing stuff like single cask bottlings for various markets again - something that had not been done much of over the past 5+ years... and on the 15th October this year, the first single cask for Denmark in a number of year was released as a part of Danish Distillery Braunstein's Whisky Fair. The bottle is a 2003 12yo heavily sherried release that immediately caught the attention of Highland Park fans - especially through the Highland Park Appreciation Society group on Facebook.

I decided to order the 2 bottles per person limit in pre-order and upon receiving the bottles, the online chatter about this bottling had really taken off with most asking how to get a full bottle as it had sold out over the release weekend or asking how to obtain a sample. Some had also tasted it at the Braunstein Whisky Fair and was raving about it, statements that spiked my curiosity further. After posting of my (so far closed) bottles bottles on Facebook, I had more and more people asking for my opinion on it - both in regular posts and in private messages which means there must be at least a few people out there that values my opinion ;-)

Anyway, its good to see Highland Park returning to releases like this. The only sad thing is that people are selling them off straight away for a profit...

Oh, wait I just did get into one of the things that's been keeping me away from the blog for a while...

So, let's take a look at this single cask Highland Park... 

I had a couple of friends try this one out as well and got a couple of interesting descriptions from them :)
The most descriptive one must be this from my friend MBO:

"This whisky is so massive that its the fluid embodiment of Brand Ambassador Martin Markvardsen, sweaty and reeking of masculinity in nothing but a kilt charging down onto the beaches from the cliffs of Yesnaby while wielding a two-handed viking broadsword, defending the Islands from whisky raiders"

My other friend MP was a bit more traditional:

"This whisky is such strong sherry influenced whisky, so strong it resembles red  balsamic vinegar and spicy oak juice and leaves little else to the drinker"

You can read my personal notes and thoughts below the picture...

The entrance to Highland Park Distillery, August 6th 2009 © The Malt Desk

Highland Park 2003/2016, 12yo, 58,3%, 1st fill European Sherry butt#5878, 648 bottles, Distillery Bottling for Braunstein & Friends, Denmark

Colour is dark mahogany
Lets hope it doesn't have any s-notes - regular readers will know I'm sensitive to that :O

Nose:
Huge on sherry and struck matches on the nose, turning towards reduced tomato glace - a little sweet peat smoke is surfacing, but its struggling to make its way through. There's some dark chocolate, charred oak and with water some café latte and mentholated notes. The peat smoke is also more noticeable now along with a fruity sweetness subdued by the strong sherry, charred and struck match notes. The reduced nose down to maybe 45% leaves little or no trace of unpleasentries.

Taste:
Again big on the sherry, red balsamic vinegar, charred wood chips and prune juice, grilled beetroot left too long on the bbq, dark old style sugar cane rhum and burnt molasses, spicy sherry oak notes, burnt grilled sausages, damp peat and something like inhaling the smoke from burning your organic garden waste. The finish is carried a long way by the sherry but then gets the dreaded pop-up of sulphur of the matchstick kind - like on the nose. It's certainly quite a massive release this one and in trying to come up with a conclusion to this one and it must be that, as my initial impressions followed through...

Closest comparison I'll make is that its a Highland Park 'Dark Originis' on steroids. That said, there's still something more in this one as in quite bit more sherried, there's more peat smoke and charred notes. Sadly there's still noticeable matchbox sulphur in here too. I know that a lot of people like this note and on top of that statistics also shows that close to 30% of all people can't even pick up the note.

I remember older bottlings of Highland Park not having this distinct note (reference here are the old OBs e.g. the 12 & 18) and when I argue this its because I also find it, very vaguely though, in the new releases of the OBs and vaguely probably because they've:

1. Been watered down to 40/43%
2. The amount of first fill casks going into these are obviously smaller than when dealing with a single cask bottling like the Braunstein & Friends-bottling 

I'm sadly left with the feeling that its just the style of sherry casks Highland Park get from their contracted bodega - or at least it was back in the day when this cask was laid to rest in 2003.

What I'm then left to ponder over is whether the 30% not able to taste these notes + those that like these notes is such a large part of the customer base that its not worth spending time and money trying to get rid of it??

All these things said (some less flattering) its still good whisky as you can water your way out of the matchstick sulphur in this - or at least down to an acceptable level. Luckily for me the matchstick kind isn't the type I'm overly sensitive to (its the rubbery kind) so Yes, I can drink this neat but the presence of matchstick sulphur just irritates me as this bottling could have been a belter without it!

Are you looking for a score? ok, I'll give you one...

78/100

HIGHLAND PARK 'HOBBISTER' - DISTILLERY BOTTLING

As with many recent bottlings of Highland Park, there was also a bit of fuss surround the release of the 'Hobbister'... The fuss, however was a bit more of a technical kind. Only 1200 bottles was released of this one and it was only available at the distillery itself and/or online in the distillery webshop...

The web traffic generated when the bottles went online made the Highland Park website crash so you couldn't finish your order. People were also queueing outside the distillery to get a bottle, so what a start for this bottling, eh? :) Bottom line is that it sold out in a flash when the website was working...

Official picture by Highland Park 

Anyway, this bottling is the first of 5,  in a series called the 'Keystone'-collection where Highland Park will be focusing on the following:

• Aromatic Peat
• Sherry oak
• Cool maturation
• Harmonisation
• Hand turned malt

This one, the 'Hobbister' is named after the moor where Highland Park cuts its peat used in about 20% of their production. The whisky itself is supposedly made up of 6yo Highland Park from 1st and refill ex-bourbon casks, mixed with some 12yo...

So how did I get my hands on some?
As I mentioned above, this sold out in a flash, leaving a lot of people frowning.
Luckily a bottle was offered up as samples by Thorfinn Craigie from the Highland Park Appriciation Society on Facebook and then kindly administered by Ian Moir- Huge thanks, gents!

The 'price'? A donation to RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) This ended up with a total donation of £700 for the RNLI, some of it also raised at a local tasting on Orkney. Well done, all! :)

The cheque of £700 is handed over to the RNLI by Thorfinn Craigie, Martin Markvardsen and Ian Moir - Picture by Jim Lyngvild (thanks for the use, Jim)

Highland Park 'Hobbister' 51,4%, 1200 bottles, Distillery bottling (RRP was £75)

Colour is pale amber

Nose:
Quite upfront with lots of burning twigs and leaves, like burning your garden cuttings, but underneath you get some very nice tropical fruit and quite a bit of floral notes, like fabric softener.

After a while the peaty smoke notes retreats somewhat allowing a more citric and malty edge to peak but also revealing a few notes of young whisky.... this, however, comes and goes and is never uncomfortable in any way and I fell it somehow carries the floral forward

Taste:
A good burst of floral peat and honey to start with, then lots of crisp malt and a brown sugary note... There's also some vanilla pods and hint of smoked pineapple here.

The sherry influence is coming through a bit more here with hints of candied apple and charred oak. The floral peat pops back up mid- to end palate and leaves a taste of something pleasant reminding me of kissing my grandmother on the cheek, like a mix of perfume and cigar...

What do I think if this? Quite good, actually - its very lively and fresh Highland Park... and very different too, I think with its very aromatic peat style. The whole thing is quite well put together and it constantly bounces back and forth producing both young and notes of older whisky. Finally bottling this at 51,4% was the right choice as I think some of its flavours would have gotten lost at a lower abv%

87/100!

HIGHLAND PARK 1990 25YO - CADENHEAD SMALL BATCH

Well, we all know by that when a distillery says it matures all its whisky sherry casks, its not true... there are plenty of examples of this, Glenfarclas, Macallan and of course, Highland Park which is the one I'll be focusing on in this review...

Now, I'd been eyeing this one for a while and decided to grab a couple of bottles and at the same time, put a bottle on a tasting as these ex-bourbon casks Highland Parks can be really delicious... and I was not to be disappointed with this one either - and adding to that the price here in Denmark was really fair (DKK 1299,- or £133/€173) which makes it a much better offering than e.g. the official 25yo Highland Park currently priced at x 2-2,5 times that. I'm aware that this isn't a sherried version like the official 25yo but with a price difference like that, I'll live ;) - in fact, I find independent bottlings more fun as they show what a distillery can do besides their regular offerings.

One such independent bottler is Cadenheads, a subsidiary of Springbank Distillers in Campbeltown and one of, if not, my favorite bottler at moment... Their offerings are just really, really good - both in terms of quality and very often also in price - this 1990 25yo Highland Park is one such and it was bottled as a part of the Cadenhead Small Batch-series.

The Highland Park Malt Floor, August 6th 2009 © The Malt Desk

Highland Park 1990 25yo 50,6%, 2 ex-bourbon hogsheads, 426 bottles, Cadenhead Small Batch

Colour is light gold

Nose:
Vanilla, loads of honey, quite fresh, a noticeable puff of smoke, sweet barley notes, some apple, bit of ginger and grass, fresh pineapple and quite a mix of herbs

Taste:
The arrival is on citrus and honey until a strong burst of tropical fruits, mainly pineapple, mango rushes ind along with loads of juicy malt wrapped in a vanilla paestry. It's also quite smooth and creamy for a 50% malt - no rough edges here. Then we have more ginger, more, now slightly burnt paestry and smoke.

The finish goes towards cold olive oil and herbs and a slight mineral touch.

Great stuff!

91/100!

HIGHLAND PARK ICE 17YO - DISTILLERY BOTTLING

Another anticipated release for this spring, is the Highland Park 'Ice'...

It's the first Highland Park Limited Edition after their 'Valhalla'-series and with this one, they remain with the Norse Mythology, this time going back to the legend of the creation of the realms, starting with 'Ice' and ending with 'Fire' in late summer/early autumn of 2016. Official sources confirm that there will not be 9 bottlings even though there are 9 realms in the Norse Mythology - Just to clear that up right away :-)

What else, you ask? well, the 'Ice' is made up of 100% ex-bourbon casks. There is, however, a small twist to these casks... they all had toasted oak cask ends, adding just a bit more to the whisky. It's also 'limited' to 30.000 bottles, 'limited' here meaning its a one-off bottling, there will not be another batch. Its RRP is £190, which is about 5% more than the last bottling in the 'Valhalla'-series, but it may, of course, vary depending on your location.

Preliminary rumors say this will taste much like the 'Freya' from the 'Valhalla'-series, so let's see if that's true...

Official picture by Highland Park

Highland Park 'Ice' 17yo 53,9%, ex-bourbon casks, 30.000 bottles, Distillery bottling

Colour is pale straw

Nose:
Very closed right after its poured - this needs a little TLC. After 10 mins with my hand around my Glencairn, this is a whole other creature. The nose is very deep and warming with vanilla, papaya, pineapple, orange blossoms, fresh ginger, sugary wort, hints of mint, buttered toast and a dash of smoke. Very nice :-)

Taste:
The arrival is thick and creamy and right away it gives off a little alcohol bite. This is replaced with lashing of honey, vanilla, spicy malt, overripe lemon, hints of cinnamon, gingerbread, orange liqueur and and some mellow peat. The finish shows a little licorice and spicy/peppery and vanilla'ed malt.

Not as light in style as expected, this one...

It carries that warm and thick feeling through both on the nose and palate and I don't really think it lives up to its name in that respect, but I do see where the official statement about this one being similar to the 'Freya' comes from. They are similar, yes, but I think if Highland Park had called 'Freya' for Ice and vice versa, the names and styles, would have fitted more properly.

Other than that, its there's not much to comment on other than its good straight forward whisky...

86/100!

Sample provided by Edrington Denmark

HIGHLAND PARK 1988 27YO - CADENHEAD CASK ENDS

Its time for the last Cadenhead review this time around, but don't worry - more are coming soon :-)

As I mentioned in my Benriach review from 4th October, I was looking for something special to take home for the Cadenhead tasting and this Highland Park was it... It was first tried in a warehouse in Campbeltown where Mark Watt took us through a few of Cadenhead casks and my choice fell on this Highland Park, even though there were other very good offerings :-)

Mark Watt doing what he does best, May 7th 2015 - Photo by my whisky-compadre Johnny Rose

Highland Park 1988 27yo 52,6% ex-bourbon hogshead 1988/2008+ sherry hogshead 2008/May 2015, Cadenhead Cask Ends

Colour is dark mahogany

Nose:

Thick heavy molasses syrupy notes, a slight dirty, smoky musty note as well, burnt caramel and figs and black cherries. The sherry is just about over the top and leaves no room for other than some dark chocolate notes as well...

Taste:

Again heavy, lots of dirty notes bordering on sulphury but the again not, especially when allowed to breathe a bit. Notes of strong espresso, black olives, soy sauce and a the obvious wine/sherry and a slight charred finish.

This is big whisky, though not an incredible complex one...

You'll need to be into massive sherry bombs to appreciate this one, but then who doesn't like a whisky like this from time to time.

Again lovely stuff, this time directly out of the Cadenhead Warehouse in Campbeltown.

89/100!

OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE HIGHLAND PARK 'ODIN' IN STOCKHOLM

If you've ended up here you're probably already following The Malt desk on either Twitter (@TheMaltDesk) or via my Facebook page. You've probably also come across the use of the hash tag # and if you've been following Highland Park Distillery lately you will certainly have come across #ODIN100

The #ODIN100-tag was put into use by Highland Park to mark 100 days to the launch of the of the final whisky in their Valhalla-series and, of course, also to help Highland Park fans follow future posts counting down to the release of the final whisky in the series - the Odin

The Highland Park Odin - picture courtesy of Edrington

Officially launched on the 16th of February, the Odin sold out from the both the distillery and major online retailers in the UK in a flash - some reporting their stock being gone as fast as 15mins, so as with its predecessors, the Thor, Loki and Freya, the punters again gave each other a run for their money.

The complete Valhalla series, February 17th 2015 © The Malt Desk

The first official tasting did not take place until the 17th February though, and events were held both in Sweden and in the UK and just under a dozen of us were invited to an exclusive afternoon session in Stockholm under the guidance of Senior Brand Ambassador Martin Markvardsen and by attending this event, I'm in the very lucky position to have be present at the launch of all 4 of whiskies in this series when they were released in Sweden and Denmark... so all in all a very nice recap for me :-)

After reading the official tasting notes on the Odin I quickly spotted the heavier influence of sherry casks than in the previous releases. This certainly upped my expectations... and as the previous releases very much tropical fruit/citrus driven - this certainly sounded like a darker and heavier profile to me of Odin's and his ravens.

The setting is tasteful as always, February 17th 2015  © The Malt Desk

We started, though, with a revisit to the previous whiskies in the Valhalla series, the Thor, Loki and Freya - all very nice whiskies and a natural build-up to the Odin, which, according to Martin was the hardest to put together for the Highland Park whiskymaker Max Mcfarlane as the Odin should be the Allfather of the Gods, big and powerful and at the same time not resembling any of the previous releases... So, did Max succeed?

Martin Markvardsen presenting the Odin, February 17th 2015 © The Malt Desk

Highland Park 'Odin' 16yo 55,8%, 17000 bottles, Distillery bottling

Matured mainly, but not exclusively, in Spanish oak sherry casks

Colour is amber

Nose:

Big, spicy and powerful! Highland Park certainly got this right! There's a distinct smoky edge covered in sherry and dried fruit notes, but the main theme is spice!

Peppery, nutmeg and cloves, strong cinnamon like in some oriental dishes, eucalyptus and candied orange and a slight burnt edge, like toasted oak and sugars along with lots of smoke from wet firewood. The whole thing is delivered by a healthy abv of 55,8% ensuring that the notes reaches your olfactory system in full force

Taste:

Odin certainly lets everyone know when he enters the Great Hall...

Again the spiciness is big! It has just a slight dirtiness to it which really gives it some backbone. There's dark chocolate, cappuccino, plums, tobacco leaves, ash, dark honey, Quality Street Orange sweets, quite some nutmeg, bbq wood chips and a refreshing gingery tang on the finish. Add to this an all present peatyness...

This is the 18yo Highland Park x10 on everything + added spiciness

This is big whisky and a very fitting end to the Valhalla series!

That said, I'm thinking some may find this just a bit of a brute, although I don't...

Anyway, it's one of, if not, the best of the series, IMO... but I'm really splitting hairs here when comparing with the Thor and Loki which I liked a lot. I'm down to the best being dependent on which mood you're in...

90/100!

Thanks to Edrington DK and Holm & Bertung for invitation to the event

Finally, if you're interested in how Odin compares to the other whiskies in the Valhalla series, you can find my notes on here by clicking the name-links in italic the Thor, the Loki and the Freya...

HIGHLAND PARK 1979 - MURRAY MCDAVID

Xmas is upon us and its time to review the whisky pulled from the cupboard as this years Xmas whisky...
so before I move on to my review, I'd like to take the opportunity to wish you all a Merry Malt Xmas! :-)

My choice fell upon a Highland Park this year. I've always had a sweet spot for Highland Park as it was one of the first distilleries I tried back when I started my malt journey. Back then it was the standard 12 which compared to the others had back then really rocked... Many drams have passed since then and I'm now entering my 16th year of my malt journey and with that in mind, I wanted to grab something special, yet still something that I could relate to through the years (I know, I know... getting a bit sentimental at Xmas here)

My choice then fell upon a 1979 Highland Park bottled by Murray McDavid in the Mission-series, a sub bottling brand of Bruichladdich, before the islay distillery was sold last year to Remy Martin.

Highland Park, however is still in the hands of the Edrington group along with Macallan in Speyside (see my previous review) and Glenturret in Crieff, just west of Perth.

The Orkney Islands are more than Orkney Mainland, this picture is from Hoy, another island worth exploring, August 7th 2009 © The Malt Desk 

Highland Park 1979 25yo 46%, ex-bourbon cask, 750 bottles, Murray McDavid Mission series

Colour is full straw

Nose:
Fruit and smoke hits you right away and both things seems to come to you in waves. It certainly feels like that when picking up your glass nosing it, putting it down and picking it up again... and surprisingly smoky it is... Maybe back in 1979 they were still doing a large portion of their own maltings at the distillery itself and this is the result of burning the peat a little too long? The fruits are quite evident, though. They are of the tropical kind... mango, sweet oranges, and melon and that ever present peat along with a fair dose of vanilla and nipping oak - just lovely!

Taste:
Good and very balanced arrival. At first there's 2 seconds of oak and bitter before lush malt and fruit comes rushing in to save the day. Clearly now papaya and several types of melon notes. Also a little pineapple and hint of pistachio and a good layer of malt. The smoky edge is again ever present along with a little salt, making sure you don't forget that this is an Island malt. This never gets boring even though you could wish for it to maybe have been bottled at 50% rather than 46%...

This is very good whisky, no doubt... and a nice and refreshing one for Xmas as opposed to the sherried whiskies usually consumed at and associated with Xmas...

88/100!

THE DARK EXPEDITION & DANISH LAUNCH OF 'DARK ORIGINS' - HIGHLAND PARK

To mark the launch of the latest addition to the Highland Park range, the 'Dark Origins'-bottling, the sailing yacht 'Celeste', a Farr 65' class boat, set out on August 18th this year from Gothenburg, Sweden heading towards the Orkney Islands, retracing the steps of the Scandinavians settlers on Orkney in the most traditional of ways, by navigating across the high seas towards new shores, just as these fearless seafarers did many years ago...

Heading west... picture courtesy of Edrington & Highland Park

The journey brought peat and barley from Scandinavian to Orkney to mark the beginning of a distilling on Orkney and the links to the illicit distiller 'Magnus Eunson' to whom the 'Dark Origins'-bottling is a tribute.

So, what's the story with this Magnus-guy, you ask? Well, Magnus was a butcher and church clerk by day and an illicit distillery by night. It all went very well for a while but eventually Magnus was caught by the excise man.

Magnus' distilling took place close to his farm called 'High Park' and its easy to see that becoming 'Highland Park' over the years and also why the silhouette depicted on the 'Dark Origins' tube is supposed to be Magnus. The silhouette quickly made people make references like Robin Hood, David Beckham and Obi-Wan Kenobi... but no, it's just supposed to be Magnus Eunson - an illicit distiller on Orkney in the late 18th century... and let's thank either the Norse gods (which Highland Park is know to make a reference or two to...) or just the whisky gods for that - else we wouldn't be drinking the stuff today ;-)

But back to these brave men and women who ventured out on what for some would be an adventure of a lifetime... because they had to endure hardship on their way to the Orkneys... The 'Celeste', a modern yacht with all its amenities vs. an old open viking longship sets things in perspective when you, like the 14 people on the 'Dark Expedition', encounters 25' waves and high winds on the North Sea... Imagine a crossing in an open low railing longship instead with no shelter or just tarp for cover - oh, those Norsemen... what a hardened people we were/are :-)

Stormy seas... picture courtesy of Edrington & Highland Park

Today, we Scandinavians are still bound very much to the sea as it surrounds most of us on one side or another and the crew partaking in the Dark Expedition are not dressed in chain armor and helmets or carrying swords and axes like they were 1000 years ago... these are the faces of some of the 'Dark Expedition'-members 2014...

'Dark Expedition'-members 2014 - pictures courtesy of Edrington & Highland Park

Following the Warrior series previously released by Highland Park, this new addition is a welcome one...
It uses twice as many 1st fill sherry casks as the standard Highland Park 12yo expression and the abv% is now 46,8%... a natural strength of the casks used in this vatting, according to Brand Ambassdor Martin Markvardsen. Also the peat level in this one is higher than usual in your standard Highland Park, certainly giving the 'Dark Origins' a more rustic and rough edge than what we're used to seeing from Highland Park Distillery - I'm even betting some drinkers not into peat will find this one off putting... :-O

... and we have to adress it... it's a NAS bottling... but it's doing all right, this one.
According to Brand Ambassdor Martin Markvardsen the 'Dark Origins' contains no whisky under the age of 10 and even some as old as 30 (very small portion, I'm guessing) - and (me guessing again) it's probably under strength 30yo that has gone into this one... not that it matters, just look at a certain bottling series from a Speyside distillery starting with B... it has a number of under strength casks in their vattings and it's cracking whisky!

Crossing the North Sea... picture courtesy of Edrington & Highland Park

Reaching the Orkney Islands after 4 days of hard seas, felt very much as a victory for the Expeditioners and after talking to some of the participant journeying back with the 'Celeste' from the Orkneys via Norway to Skagen, Denmark, the expression in their eyes and faces changed to that of people just having endured a great journey... maybe the modern Norsemen have softened after millennium? After all, today's journeymen were your kid's schoolteachers and restaurateur from the place you go for your meals and not people already hardened by everyday life a 1000 years ago...

The 'Celeste' reaching the Orkneys - pictures courtesy of Edrington & Highland Park

Having reached their destination, the next much smaller journey was to the distillery and the birthplace of the 'Dark Origins'-bottling - enjoy the pictures from there...

Highland Park Distillery - pictures courtesy of Edrington & Highland Park

Lots of beautiful pictures here, I know... and believe me, I'm not trying to distract your from the whisky, which, I know, is what you really came here for....

Shortly after the arrival on Orkney the boat took on a partial new crew and headed back towards Scandinavia and after a stop-over in Norway they headed to Skagen, the northern most town in Denmark for what will be the Danish launch of the 'Dark Origins'-bottling.

Those of you that follow my blog on Facebook and Twitter will have noticed that on August 26th I was in Skagen for the launch of the 'Dark Origins' and added a few pictures from there... but I'll post a couple of them here again before re-posting my tasting notes for the 'Dark Origins'

Brand Ambassador Martin Markvardsen hosting the tasting on board the 'Celeste' in Skagen, August 26th 2014
© The Malt Desk

On board the 'Celeste' we had a couple of other Highland Park for comparison, which was the 12 and the 18, and both coming across better than I remembered, that evening...

As I've mentioned above, this is a re-posting of my tasting notes, as I'd already tasted the 'Dark Origins' before attending this event...

Nose:

It's alive! and certainly a Highland Park, as the honey and floral/fruity intensity is very up front here as is a rougher smoky side. It's not Islay smoke - it's more delicate and rushes in after the fruity notes has hit your nose, staying very evident all the time after that. When you nose this, it's either fruity smoke or smoky fruit (Does that really make sense? No? oh, well... )

There's strong tea, hint of nutmeg, ginger powder, baked banana and orange peel and heavy, slightly burnt, toffee notes and sometimes a hint of farmyard. The increased use of 1st fill sherry casks are indeed noticeable here. Then there's the smoke which, by design according to Highland Park, is much stronger than in the standard offerings from then. It works very well with the sherry influence. At times I get like standing in a garden surrounded by flower beds with the BBQ on as the floral notes pops back up again... I'd like to say heather as its usually one of Highland Park's prominent features, but I'm not sure that's it here.

Very good nose!

The Dark Origins Bottling - picture courtesy of Edrington & Highland Park

Taste:

Sweet, yet drying sherry at first arrival, then the smoke rushes in along with dried fruit all sorts, smoked pineapple

from that BBQ on the nose above. Also whisky soaked apple wood chips, cinnamon, orange chocolate notes, old cigar boxes and warming spices I'd normally associate with dark rums. The whole thing finishes off drying with a slightly dirty edge to the sherry, but is very soon replaced by notes of bran flakes and an earthiness until finally the smoke takes over completely, leaving a beach bonfire in your mouth for a good length of time. If you feel this is a little rough, it takes a teaspoon of water just fine. It's all very nice, indeed, though I do get a feeling that the palate sometimes is a bit restrained...

The guys at Highland Park has done something right here and as I mentioned above it starts with upping the abv to 46,8%... it makes a big difference in the arrival and general delivery of flavour in this whisky! Also, there's no doubt that the increase in use of 1st fill sherry casks as well upping the smokiness has done wonders.

But what about it being a NAS bottling, I hear you ask? Does it contain a lot of young whisky? Does it show? and, most importantly, is it worth the price tag they've slapped on it? Well, I'm sure it does contain some young whisky, but honestly if it does, it works fine here as its covered in sherry and smoke and doesn't come across as young. The only slight young'ish feeling I get is at the very edges of the mouth and a hint on the very finish where the smoke gives up and you get a cereal note instead - that's it for me, at least - do make up your own mind about this!

And the price, you ask? I payed £60/€76/$100 for a bottle of this. They do have to pay for the marketing flannel and the fancy black bottle for this and, even though I like the design, I can do without it... but it wouldn't be a 'Dark' Origin if it came in a clear bottle, would it? :-O though if it did, we could admire the lovely colour of the whisky :-) Anyway, I'd be more a satisfied punter with a £47 price tag on this.

Bottom line... it's good whisky! and it will no doubt, become a hit with the regular punter!

85/100!

Read my original post here

Finally, thanks to Edrington DK & Holm & Bertung for the invitation to the event

HIGHLAND PARK 'DARK ORIGINS' - DISTILLERY BOTTLING

Highland Park's latest release, the 'Dark Origins' is a tribute to the founder of the illicit distilling going on at High Park Farm... before there was a real distillery on the outskirts of Kirkwall on mainland Orkney. The man doing this illicit distilling was a man named Magnus Eunson and, according to the records, a churchman and butcher by day and illicit distiller by night, which has resulted in a box portraying a picture of someone looking a bit like a mix of Robin Hood, David Beckham and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Anyway, I'm not going to get into all the marketing surrounding Highland Park these days, it's been well covered elsewhere... but that said I actually like the presentation (bottle) of the 'Dark Origins'... (Have I fallen a victim to the evil hordes of the marketing people??? I hope not... )

This is about the whisky... and I've really have had my hopes up for this one, since I first heard about it earlier this year - why, you ask? because of the 46,8% abv this bottling carries - all a sign, I would like to think, that the good gents at Highland Park has realised and picked up on the voices concerning the abv% on e.g. their 'Warrior'-series not really delivering the punch it should and could have, being at only 40%... I, for one, commented on that in the review of the 'Einar' which can be found here.

So, has Highland Park gotten wiser? have they rid this new release of the quirks of their previous releases? (at least from an anoraks view...?)

Let's give it a try.. and from a full bottle payed for by myself.

Entrance to the Highland Park Distillery, August 6th 2009 © The Malt Desk

Highland Park 'Dark Origins' 46,8%, NAS, Distillery bottling

Colour is deep amber

Nose:

It's alive! and certainly a Highland Park, as the honey and floral/fruity intensity is very up front here as is a rougher smoky side. It's not Islay smoke - it's more delicate and rushes in after the fruity notes has hit your nose, staying very evident all the time after that. When you nose this, it's either fruity smoke or smoky fruit (Does that really make sense? No? oh, well... )

There's strong tea, hint of nutmeg, ginger powder, baked banana and orange peel and heavy, slightly burnt, toffee notes and sometimes a hint of farmyard. The increased use of 1st fill sherry casks are indeed noticeable here. Then there's the smoke which, by design according to Highland Park, is much stronger than in the standard offerings from then. It works very well with the sherry influence. At times I get like standing in a garden surrounded by flower beds with the BBQ on as the floral notes pops back up again... I'd like to say heather as its usually one of Highland Park's prominent features, but I'm not sure that's it here.

Very good nose!

Taste:
Sweet, yet drying sherry at first arrival, then the smoke rushes in along with dried fruit all sorts, smoked pineapple from that BBQ on the nose above. Also whisky soaked apple wood chips, cinnamon, orange chocolate notes, old cigar boxes and warming spices I'd normally associate with dark rums. The whole thing finishes off drying with a slightly dirty edge to the sherry, but is very soon replaced by notes of bran flakes and an earthiness until finally the smoke takes over completely, leaving a beach bonfire in your mouth for a good length of time. If you feel this is a little rough, it takes a teaspoon of water just fine. It's all very nice, indeed, though I do get a feeling that the palate sometimes is a bit restrained...

The guys at Highland Park has done something right here and as I mentioned above it starts with upping the abv to 46,8%... it makes a big difference in the arrival and general delivery of flavour in this whisky! Also, there's no doubt that the increase in use of 1st fill sherry casks as well upping the smokiness has done wonders.

But what about it being a NAS bottling, I hear you ask? Does it contain a lot of young whisky? Does it show? and, most importantly, is it worth the price tag they've slapped on it? Well, I'm sure it does contain some young whisky, but honestly if it does, it works fine here as its covered in sherry and smoke and doesn't come across as young. The only slight young'ish feeling I get is at the very edges of the mouth and a hint on the very finish where the smoke gives up and you get a cereal note instead - that's it for me, at least - do make up your own mind about this!

And the price, you ask? I payed £60/€76/$100 for a bottle of this. They do have to pay for the marketing flannel and the fancy black bottle for this and, even though I like the design, I can do without it... but it wouldn't be a 'Dark' Origin if it came in a clear bottle, would it? :-O though if it did, we could admire the lovely colour of the whisky :-) Anyway, I'd be more a satisfied punter with a £47 price tag on this.

Bottom line... it's good whisky! and it will no doubt, become a hit with the regular punter!

85/100!

Post amended 8th August 2014:

Now that this bottle has been open for a week, the younger whiskies in this vatting is starting to show itself more dominantly. The fruit, especially the delicious pineapple has subsided and now leaves me with alot more younger (slightly feinty?) notes. Also the sherry has moved a bit to the background and, honestly (and honesty is what we're all looking for, right?) this is not as good now as it was, just out of the bottle... :-( The smoke edge is very much still there, trying its best to cover up its (I hate to use the word) shortcomings...

I would have reduced this to (still) a decent 83½/100, but since I don't do ½ points it's now down to 84/100...

84/100!

HIGHLAND PARK 1988 - MACKILLOP'S CHOICE

I've covered Highland Park quite a few times here on The Malt Desk already, so I'll skip right to the review...

Highland Park 1988 23yo (16.06.1988/xx.03.2012) 50,8%, cask#716, Mackillop's Choice

Colour is full straw

Similar bottle is shown

Nose:

Sweet bourbon cask and honey notes, vanilla, fresh fruit and a little peat and ashy note?. Also a bit of old wood notes - maybe bung cloth and a bit of almonds??
Not very expressive - even with water added...

Taste:

Now there's the fruit... it goes from oranges over apple to pineapple and honey dew melon. Cask spice nip and vanilla, vague hint of scent kind of artificial flowers you get for decorative purposes, only on the palate here... sounds weird, but its not unpleasant in any way.

Bit of cherry note in there as well, showing itself on the finish along with a hint of ginger and oak...

The palate is certainly more expressive than the nose on this one and saves it, making this a good Highland park... and since I don't give ½ point it'll still reaches a respectable...

85/100!

HIGHLAND PARK 1985 - CADENHEAD AUTHENTIC COLLECTION

To finish off this streak of Highland Park bottlings, I have saved an indie treat for you. Like the 'Freya' I just reviewed, its matured in ex-bourbon but a single cask this time and not a 1st fill either like the 'Freya'.

It is, however, really something of a treat and if you love your whisky fruity with a dash of peat this is certainly one to go for - although the price may be a bit of a hinder, its €200 here in Denmark.

Never then less, for a bottling this quality and age, in times like these, it seems a pretty fair price. (Is this a new opinion from me? I dunno, maybe, but its what springs to mind when thinking of this bottling). Here's my short review...

Highland Park 1985 28yo 48,3%, ex-bourbon cask, 252 bottles, Cadenhead Authentic Collection

Colour is pale straw

Nose:
Loads of tropical fruit and vanilla, fresh baking, sugars, peach, banana and aromatic smoke, bit of citrus (lemon) and a fresh garden smell (grassy?).

Taste:
Tropical fruits galore, some spice and a smoke trail, also quite some mineral notes, barley juice and green notes, carries a very creamy mouth feel and very much in balance, I'd say....

Great stuff! its certainly delivers everything the nose lines up for you. It's good to see older Highland Park from the indies, especially Cadenhead, that's put out some good stuff over the years... just last year the 25yo small batch - you remember that one??

89/100!

OFFICIAL DANISH LAUNCH OF HIGHLAND PARK 'FREYA' IN COPENHAGEN

Just like last year, for the DK lauch of the Highland Park 'Loki', the weather was great when I headed to Copenhagen to attend the launch of this years release in the Valhalla series, the long awaited 'Freya'.
The short 40min domestic flight to get to Copenhagen from here was smooth as 25yo Highland Park and after a delicious lunch, I had had a walk through some iconic parts of our nations capitol, snapping some pictures on the way.

Whisky and Viking jewelry - Pictures courtesy of Holm & Bertung - pics by Emil Monty Freddie

I then headed across the city bridge to 'Christianhavn' and had a coffee to go and enjoyed the sun a bit by one of the canals there before heading to the Michelin rated Restaurant 'Kadeau' for the event hosted by Highland Park Brand Ambassador Martin Markvardsen and guest speaker Jim Lyngvild who was there to give his view on who Freya was and what she would be would be like in the modern world.

 

Jim is know for his impressive traditional viking long house inspired home and his general fascination with all things viking, while at the same time possessing an ability to give great twist to already existing stories - this days twist was that the focus person 'Freya' -according to historical records- may not have Norse in her origins at all, but rather from a region in further down in Europe.

 

Jim Lyngvild gives his take on who 'Freya' really was - Pictures courtesy of Holm & Bertung - pics by Emil Monty Freddie

To accompany the food a couple of Highland Parks from the travel retail series were served as appetisers before 'Freya' was presented - those were;

 

Highland Park 'Svein' NAS 40%, Distillery Bottling (travel retail)

 

Only a few general notes were taken on this, but very pleasant, especially since its the entry level bottling for Highland Park's travel retail range...

Very fresh, citrus (orange),vanilla and fruits, malt and aromatic smoke.

Tastes very fresh - again with vanilla, burst of citrus fruits, spices and a good smoky arrival mid palate. I'd call this a playful and very aperitif style and very lively whisky and certainly much better than expected and reputed, IMO.

Not scored as it was served with food

Highland Park 'Einar' NAS 40%, Distillery Bottling (travel retail)

Very similar to the 'Svein' but slightly heavier in style. I review the expression in full last summer in end of June.

Again, not scored on the day as it was served with food.

The 'Einar' review can be found by following this link.

 

Camilla and Martin from Edrington DK presenting the 'Freya' - Pictures courtesy of Holm & Bertung - pics by Emil Monty Freddie

Now lets try the latest release in the Highland Park Valhalla-collection...

Highland Park 'Freya' 15yo 51,2%, 19000 bottles, Distillery bottling

This is a bottling a bit out of the usual style for Highland Park as it comes from 100% 1st fill ex-bourbon casks.

Tasted at home from a 5cl sample

Colour is full straw

Nose:
Vanilla, ginger, tropical and citrus fruit (pineapple, orange and lemon) , bit of smoke and floral hints (rose and lavender?) and danish honey on toast. The nose gets a lot more malty with extra time in the glass.

Taste:
Orange and raspberry, ginger again but also a spicy oak nip - a clear influence from the 1st fill ex-bourbon casks. More tropical fruit and Galia and honey dew melon comes along and bring juicy barley and a whiff of smoke before turning into spicy again. The 'Freya' carries a lingering alcohol and, surpisingly, another burst of peat on your lips and tongue before disappearing with a medium length finish.

I'm guessing this is not a dram for everyone. You have to like the nipping oak and spices from the 1st fill ex-bourbon casks to really appreciate this one (and I do). On the other hand, I don't find this one quite as good as either the 'Thor' or the 'Loki', but its still close to its brethren and still very good whisky - so good I had to secure a bottle.

As with the Highland Park 'Loki', the malt used to produce this was peated with Orkney peat, but matured mainly at the Edrington warehouses in Glasgow, rather than on Orkney.
Originally destined for the blending vats, the casks making up this bottling was considered by Edrington to be too good to let that happen and 'Freya' is a result of this...

87/100!

The featured bottles of March 13th 2014 @ Kadeau in Copenhagen - Pictures courtesy of Holm & Bertung - pics by Emil Monty Freddie

Finally, thanks to Martin Markvardsen for this additional info and to Edrington DK & Holm & Bertung for the invitation to the event. Also thanks to the team at Restaurant 'Kadeau' for providing us with delicious norse inspired courses.

HIGHLAND PARK 'THORFINN' - DISTILLERY BOTTLING

Its time meet Thorfinn, the last of the Highland Park Warriors. We're looking at a dark sherried warrior here, the one with the highest content of first fill sherry casks of the range (see below)... Again no age is stated on the bottle.

As with the other bottlings in the series, there's a story connected to the name and supposedly Thorfinn was the greatest of them, which is why this bottling came last. Marketing/storytelling at its best ;-)

Priced at €1000, I really glad to have the opportunity to taste this is its way above my whisky budget threshold - in fact its more than double the amount I've ever paid for a whisky.

The Mighty Ring of Brodgar on Orkney Mainland - August 5th 2009 © The Malt Desk

Highland Park 'Thorfinn' NAS 45,1%, Distillery bottling (travel retail 70cl)

Colour is nutty brown

Nose:
Initially on sherry/dark fruits, lovely spicy European oak influence here. Also other fruits in play here - brown banana, overripe oranges, then hardwood and eucalyptus notes accompanied by some herbal notes along with a puff of smoke. The wine/dark fruit notes are the dominant notes, though.

Taste:
Gentle arrival turning spicy almost immediately. Again herbal and winey and a little phenolic even. A very heavy sherry profile with just a hint of something dirty (yes, the s-word - but then I'm very sensitive to this). Mid-palate it produces some similar tropical fruit notes also found in the 'Ragnvald'-bottling only to return to an almost px sherry/madeira style sweetness, chocolate and cigar box notes. On the finish a little tropical fruit comes out again, but dries off quickly.

This is very spicy and has some burst of oak that I sometimes feel goes a little over the top. It's multi layered for sure, and I feel the work of some younger very active sherry casks in this one, that sometimes take over the show a bit - mind you its purely a guess and strictly my own opinion, but there's not doubt its still very good whisky.

I was splitting hairs with this one and the 'Ragnvald' as the best of the 3, but after tasting the 'Thorfinn' again, I'm gonna declare it a tie...

As mentioned above, its priced at around €1000 in travel retail

89/100!

Official sample provided by Highland Park

HIGHLAND PARK 'RAGNVALD' - DISTILLERY BOTTLING

Now its on to the 'Ragnvald' bottling and we're stepping up the antics here a bit... or at least the price... now these bottlings have been called ridiculously priced, especially since they're No Age Statement bottling, but I won't go into that in this post - I've done so plenty on other occasions, instead I'll skip right to the review you're really waiting for...

Stills at Highland Park, August 6th 2009 © The Malt Desk

Highland Park 'Ragnvald' NAS 44,6%, Distillery bottling (travel retail 70cl)

Colour is deep gold

Nose:
This is very dark rum like for a moment, hint of cinnamon, vanilla, apple, overripe almost soft oranges, soft smoke and a hint of menthol

Taste:
Oh, this is nice... Tropical fruits, mango and melon with some spices thrown in, clove, dried apricot snacks, teak wood and just a hint of something earthy and tarry, oranges, honey, black pepper and chocolate. The finish is medium long with a tail of smoke and mouthwatering fruity/floral exit.

Now we're talking - this is a very good dram from Highland Park and there's clearly some older cask influence here. I feel that a slightly higher abv% would have taken this whisky 1 or 2 points higher... The price, though makes this a little less fun.

Priced at around €400 in travel retail

89/100!

Official sample provided by Highland Park