Highland Park 好東西

Serge 的評論出爐了, 大家參考看看:

Tasting four Highland Park exclusive to travel retail

The three ‘Vintages’ we’ll have will be in the market around April this year, alongside a 1973 at higher strength.

Highland Park 1998/2010 (40%, OB, travel retail, 1l) Colour: straw. Nose: very ‘Highland Park’! Hardly a surprise but this one is rather ‘chiselled’ so to speak, which makes a few main aromas really stand out. First, it’s rather smokier than the usual HP, with a fairly distinct peatiness. Then, we have some fresh mint (and maybe just a little aniseed), then these notes of heather honey and finally a very pleasant minerality (flints). All that on top of hints of grains and porridge. Gets more honeyed over time, with some, well, ‘honeyed’ sherry coming out. It reminds me a little of some much older bottlings. Anyway, very nice nose and no weakness despite the low strength. Mouth: good attack, not big but not weak, rather more malty and nutty than on the nose. The sherry is also a tad more noticeable. Apple, toasted bread, a little toffee, a little coffee, cornflakes… Nice bitterness after that. Chlorophyll. Finish: medium long and quite dry, clean. Some liquorice and ‘green’ spices in the aftertaste – make that chlorophyll again. Comments: a very pleasant HP, rather more austere and ‘restrained’ than other youngish versions. An elegant dram. SGP:353 - 84 points.

Highland Park 1994/2010 (40%, OB, travel retail) Colour: straw. Nose: more mature, obviously, and even more aromatic than the 1998, globally more honeyed and jammy. Orange marmalade. Having said that, it’s as flinty and mineral, and maybe even a little metallic, pleasantly so. Maybe also a little more coastal with whiffs of brine, also a little leather. It’s an expressive nose (once again, despite the low strength), rather complex. Mouth: richer and fruitier than the 1998, seemingly more powerful as well. Dried fruits, apricots, fir honey, candied lemon zests and a few spices (quite some nutmeg). Maybe more ‘Highland Park’ than the 1998, and probably easier. Finish: long, with more citrus fruits. A grassiness in the aftertaste, mint, a faint tannicity as well. Comments: more a classic HP than the 1998 in my opinion and something that reminds me of the excellent old regular 12s from the 1980s, with maybe just a little less ‘fat’. Less creamy. SGP:451 - 85 points.

Highland Park 1990/2010 (40%, OB, travel retail) Colour: pale gold. Nose: quite curiously, this one isn’t quite as expressive as the younger ones even if I do get a little smoke and a rather obvious peat. Marginally more leathery than the ’94. Becomes quite ‘tertiary’ over time, with whiffs of herbs (Provence herbs, thyme, even hints of olives), a little paraffin oil, a little shoe polish and just hints of honeydew. Also a little camphor and eucalyptus coming through after a while. Fruitcake but not much, ham. A complex nose, just not a big one. Maybe this one would have deserved to be bottled at 43 or 46%? Mouth: indeed, it does lack a little more oomph, the attack being a tad ‘flabby’, but it does take off after a few seconds in your mouth, contrarily to many whiskies that display a nice attack but that drop in the middle. Quite the opposite here. Amusing notes of OBE (old bottle effect) – and this one isn’t even on the shelves yet! Some mint, bitter liquorice, various herbal teas, spices, touches of honey, rosehip tea, some tobacco… A very interesting palate. Finish: medium long, on more or less the same notes of ‘old whisky’. Still quite resinous, with a little peat as well. A lot of cough syrup in the aftertaste as well as something metallic. Comments: again, this is excellent but it would have deserved a higher strength. You may amplify the nose using proper glassware but there isn’t much you can do for the palate… I’m sure it would have gained 3 or 4 extra-points in my book at 45/46%. SGP:352 - 86 points.

Highland Park 21 yo (40%, OB, travel retail, 2009) This is the newer version at 40% vol. instead of the earlier 47.5% version. Colour: pale gold. Nose: this one is completely different. Not really big and rather grassier and more resinous than the three ‘vintages’. Also grassier than the older 21 at 47.5% vol. Develops on walnuts, apple pie, leather, hints of raisins and wee floral notes (dandelions?) Hints of wet cloth, damp clay, earth, almond… It’s very nice and subtle but it whispers a bit too much in a tasting glass. It would probably benefit from a large cognac glass (aka fishbowl ;-)) Mouth: creamier and oilier than all three ‘vintages’, probably a little bigger as well but I wouldn’t say it’s ‘big’ whisky. Many citrus fruits (oranges, bergamots), then a ‘greenness’ (apple peeling, fresh walnuts, green tea), some honey (but it’s less honeyed than other HPs) and finally some classic spices. Ginger, cloves and cinnamon. Finish: medium long, on just the same notes plus a little pepper. Comments: very good, potent HP but once again, a few more degrees would have been welcome. Even 3, like in all these old glorious ‘dumpies’! But hey, WF isn’t ‘the market’, and certainly not the ‘travel market’. SGP:441 - 86 points.

愛倫 大

這3瓶已經在免稅商店開賣了嗎

這台灣還不知道何時會上耶, 要等昇恆昌免稅公司的決定喔

這歐美我想已經上市了吧, 如果有朋友有從歐美要回國的請它們幫忙先帶回來嘗鮮一下

我也沒試過這些酒~ 期待!!

喔喔

是喔

是剛好同事下個月要出國度蜜月

想說託他買拉

看來是買不成囉