Highland Park 18 - Review
Age: 18 years
Barrel type: Ex-bourbon barrels and ex-sherry casks
Region: Isle of Orkney
ABV: 43%
Price: $125
Additional details: chill filtered, color added
Highland Park 18 is a legend, one of the four or five most highly regarded scotches in the realistically attainable price range, which I'll define as under $200. It's the flagship product of Scotland northernmost distillery, which sits on the remote Isle of Orkney (adjective: Orcadian). It is also the bottle that I purchased last year that ignited my interest in trying as many whiskies as I could. Now, a year later, it's time to reflect on my journey, and on this scotch.
Appearance: When I bought this scotch, Highland Park had one of the more distinctive bottles in the business, with a rounded, ovular, army-canteen shape. The new bottle, after the distillery rebranded this expression as "Highland Park 18 Viking Pride," is even more out there, with rune-like designs all over the bottle. In my humble opinion, while the old bottle was getting a touch dated, it also exhibited some admirable restraint more becoming of a well-aged scotch, whereas the new one looks like it wouldn't be out of place on the shelf of Nickelodeon Slime.
In the glass, Highland Park 18 is a lovely amber shade, almost the Platonic image of what scotch should look like. But, considering that they add color to it, shouldn't it look that good? And should I really care?
Nose: The nose first presents rich, dark fruits and sherry. The influence of those casks is strong, and demonstrates that Highland Park is using some high quality casks for this scotch. The oak and underlying malt strengthens with time, and the scents come to resemble shortbread cookies, before a creamy vanilla wafts up. A first-rate "bouquet" of scents, much as I loathe that word.
Palate: The palate is well-rounded, with faint background tones of peat and smoke, mild spiciness, and tart citrus fruits, with a richness or creaminess that binds all flavors together. Highland Park's peat is distinct from Islay peat or even Talisker peat, as it has an earthier, more mushroom-like flavor that more closely resembles the peat used in certain other Highland or Speyside single malts, like Edradour's Ballechin.
Finish: The finish seems to mutate from sip to sip, with the fruit sometimes expressing itself with smoke, sometimes mint, sometimes with a touch of grassy or herbal bitterness. The final notes return to fragrant ash or smoke, like the memory of a cigar smoked an hour or two earlier.
Value for Money and Final Impressions: At the time I purchased this bottle, it was the most expensive scotch I'd ever acquired, although I've subsequently broken that $125 mark a few times for special, limited-edition Islay single malts. Highland Park 18 is a well-composed, balanced, and complex scotch, but it actually isn't right in my flavor wheelhouse (I prefer punchier, smokier whiskies), and I probably wouldn't buy it again. I appreciate what's in the bottle but, personally, when I hit the triple digits in price, I really want to be taken aback with every sip of what I'm drinking. Highland Park 18 doesn't quite reach that level for me, but I understand why it's such a widely admired and highly reviewed product.
Rating: A-