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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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April 13, 2026 |
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WF's Little Duos,
today just some small extra drams of Highland Park |
Always a pleasure to enjoy a quick taste of Highland Park (rather an unnecessary introduction, S.) |
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Highland Park 19 yo 2006/2025 (59.8%, Signatory Vintage for World of Whisky by Waldhaus, 1st fill palo cortado finish, cask #4563, 250 bottles) 
The question remains, is it better to have a full maturation in second fill or a finishing in first fill? Answer on a postcard, please. In any case, we do love palo cortado, here it feels like a proper solera butt! But we have no proof of that, I grant you… Colour: full gold. Nose: HP and a good sherry, they always tango to perfection. Here there is truly plenty of shoe polish, church candles, walnut skins, almond milk, curry and sourdough. All in all, a very natural side. With water: we go down to the cellar, with old hessian sacks, saltpetre, mushrooms, discreet moulds, coal… Mouth (neat): it is very rich, yet very dry, with very fine bitters, somewhere between Noilly-Prat and Fernet-Branca. All that is missing are scallops. With water: herbal, dry, green walnuts, tobacco, asparagus, and still that Noilly… Finish: long, saline, samphire, shellfish, then a little dance of mustard and green walnut. Comments: for lovers of very dry sherry, of which we are of course part. Well done Waldhaus (alliteration alert!)
SGP:362 - 89 points. |
Which brings us neatly to a refill… |
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Highland Park 14 yo (63.8%, OB, Distillery Exclusive, refill butt, cask #6571, 638 bottles, +/-2022) 
Cask strength, really? Colour: deep gold. Nose: different, yet not so different after all, rounder, more on shoe polish, but after two minutes they converge rather seriously, to the point where we are no longer quite sure who is what and what is who. This one is just a little spicier, but that is no doubt the fairly higher strength all the same. With water: no, the Waldhaus dominates it on the aromatic complexity front. Mouth (neat): it hits a bit at these strengths, but beyond that it is clearly a powerful HP in style, herbal, perhaps a little brutal. With water: let us say it, it is very good, it just remains a little basic, only the very marked salinity adds some edge. Finish: long, herbal, narrow, austere. Comments: a very lovely bottle, but the Waldhaus really dominated it. Such are the joys of comparative tastings, they can be merciless.
SGP:361 - 83 points. |
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Highland Park 20 yo 2003/2024 (54.5%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Beach Beckons, #4.384)
I think this is a bottling for the SMWS Switzerland. Great guys! Colour: gold. Nose: it is on grape marc, lawn, hay, husk and wort, it needs water… With water: pencil lead. It is much prettier than it first appeared. Mouth (neat): very green, austere, dry, still on lawn, then lemon and cider apple. With water: it remains tight, a little herbal, a little on cedar wood, but it is very pleasant. Finish: long, a little woody. Comments: we do not think it is conceivable to taste this very lovely baby without water. It is often the case that malts are literally transformed by the addition of a little water, but here it is rather spectacular. 80 -> 84 points.
SGP:362 - 84 points. |
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