Scotch Whisky Review #270: Highland Park 30 Year

Distillery: Highland Park

Region: Island

Age: 30 year.

ABV: 48.10%.

Color: 1.6, Mahogany/Henna Notes.

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Nose: (according to the wife) It’s spicy, sweet, and a little bit earthy. Maple syrup and chili pepper flakes stand out the most. The earthiness comes from notes of tobacco.

Palate: Rather strong on the oak. Very dry with a bit of spice. Even adding some water doesn’t change a lot. There’s a bit of chocolate and a bit of malt barley that comes through.

Finish: Medium in length. More of the oak lingers here. There’s a slightly sweet, spiced soda note that reminds me of both Dr. Pepper and cream soda (not combination of the two, each of them separately).

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Conclusion: I recently celebrated my 30th and enjoyed a pour of this equally aged Highland Park to commemorate that milestone. I’ve not been impressed by Highland Park on the whole and this old whisky from them doesn’t do anything to change my mind. It’s over-oaked and rather simplistic. The one seeming redeeming notes in this are the two sodas that come right at the end, but otherwise it’s a pretty boring and unimpressive whisky. I’m glad to have tried it, but I won’t be clamoring to have another drop anytime soon.

Final Score: 74.

Scotch Whisky Review #270, Island Review #44, Whisky Network Review #414

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Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection (if feasible).
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.