Archive for the ‘Highland Park 12 Years Old’ tag
Highland Park Single Malt Scotch Whisky: The Expression for Father’s Day
Still searching for that last minute Father’s Day gift can be nerve racking. You know the drill; your father is special, he’s been there through it all, taught you all the important lessons in life and then a few you never thought would come in useful and sure enough – they did! Dad did always know best. Father’s Day cannot be about a tie wrapped up in tissue paper with masculine ribbon. You’ve been down that road before. The cologne at the fragrance counter just is not his style either. So, what will it be?
Highland Park Single Malt Scotch Whisky.
For the Father whose expressions are endless, give the whisky with endless expressions. Catch a glimpse in a father’s eye and it is a sure bet there is an underlying clue as to what he is thinking. Over time children grow to learn what the nuances of their father’s visual clues and body language convey as to their thoughts, feelings and expressions. Tap into your father’s expressive cues and find the Highland Park Single Malt Scotch Whisky expression that fits his character.
Highland Park 12 Years Old is the foundation expression of the series. First bottled in 1979, Highland Park 12 Years Old has remained solid receiving Double Gold at the 2005 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and Gold at the International Spirits Challenge 2006. However, awards mean little in comparison to word of mouth praise for the spirit.
Renowned whisky expert, Michael Jackson, gave Highland Park 12 Year Old a 90 out of 100 rating and had this to say about it,
“Succulent, with smokey dryness, heather-honey sweetness, and maltines.”
My mystery taster had this to say about Highland Park 12 Year Old:
“Highland Park 12 Year Old is warm with a mix of Highland and Islay; some seaside, but not too much iodine. Somewhat sweet but lingering bitterness like Bakers chocolate. Adding water brings out more honey and lemon.”
The Intoxicologist Tasting Notes: Quite a bit of honey, light, smooth, sweetness, gentle smoke
Since Highland Park 12 Years Old is the core of the Highland Park expressions it is also the easiest to find in the series, especially on short notice for Father’s Day. A quick grab does not make this one a ‘fall back’ or ‘settling on a gift’ spirit. Highland Park 12 Years Old is a great value spirit and strikes a healthy balance between light smoke and heavily iodine Scotches.
Highland Park 18 Years Old has been hailed as “Best Spirit in the World” by F. Paul Pacult. This 1997 whisky release fit his profile of the perfect whisky. While many writers and aficionados agree on the excellent qualities of this Highland Park expression, you decide if it fits in with your father’s ideal character of spirit.
Mystery Taster Notes: Nose is more refined than the Highland Park 12 Years Old. Almost like a croissant. Not too much iodine. Surprisingly robust upon entry. More iodine/smoke becomes evident with the addition of water. This expression does not contain the same lingering bitterness in the finish as the 12 Years Old, but it still holds a minimal amount of unsweetened chocolate. Almost ashy.
The Intoxicologist Tasting Notes: Much sweeter in the nose with buttery notes. Possibly vanilla or caramel tones mixed with wood and smoke. Flavor truly is much sweeter, richer, fuller. Easily sippable with honeyed silk, smoke that floats across the tongue and warms through the chest. This one lingers luxuriously. When aficionados recommend ‘chewing’ the Scotch, I can firmly grasp it with this one on the back of the palate. The Highland Park 18 Years Old begs to be held onto and savored even after the liquid has left the mouth.
Highland Park 25 Years Old is partly matured in first fill Sherry casks which are extremely expensive and used sparingly as a rule in the spirits industry. They are used at Highland Park for the rich flavor they impart to the spirit. The Platinum, Silver and Gold medals the Highland Park 25 Years Old has won plays tribute to the luxuriant essence of this expression.
Mystery Taster Notes: Exceedingly more refined than younger expressions. Complete sea air, but not to be confused with ‘fishy’. The 25 Years Old aroma is of shore/salt air. Taste is sweeter than others. The bitter after tones are muted, peaty, earthy. The sea spray is most evident.
The Intoxicologist Notes: There is much more peat and smoke in the Highland Park 25 Years Old than the others. The sweetness continues with deeper sense of flavors coming through in darker tones. Rather than caramels and vanillas the flavors begin to turn toward nuttier chocolate or toffee. There is slight citrus buried deep in the nose underneath the sweetness with perhaps some apricot. This expression is also silky, easily sippable, yet there is much more smoke involved.
Highland Park Single Malt Scotch Whisky expressions are intended to be the everyday Scotch, the sit back and relax Scotch, reward myself Scotch and rejoice and celebrate Scotch. Father’s Day celebrates every expression of your father. Choose a meaningful moment, choose a meaningful expression and give your father a Highland Park Single Malt Scotch Whisky expression for Father’s Day.
· Highland Park: Remember Quality for Father’s Day
· Highland Park 40 Year Old: Small Sampling Leads to Wealth of Information
· Highland Park, THE BEST SPIRIT IN THE WORLD, CONTINUES to impress WITH MORE Top Accolades
· Highland Park® SINGLE MALT Scotch Whisky Launches FLAGSHIP 40 Year Old Expression
Copyright 2009 Cheri Loughlin – The Intoxicologist – All Rights Reserved
