Last week I was visiting a friend, when he shoved a sample into my hand and told me : taste it , it’s a good highland park! . I can never say NO, to a highland park (let’s admit it, I can not say no to good whisky. period), and I made a mental note to remember and taste it soon, and not to leave it to wait in queue.I did just that and I am quite thankful. A very cool Signatory bottling (at 43% mind you) , from too sister casks which were married together, and bottled in 2012 after being distilled in 1998.
Highland Park 24 Year Old 1988 (Signatory) , 43.0% , £91
Nose:a Lovely wood influence with wood varnish, heather and some red grapefruit really nice and up my alley. A further nosing reveals ripe red apples. And vanilla. A rather restrained hp.
Palate: Punchier for sure: pepper and peat with some more smoke upfront. Then getting maltier. Fruitier with caramel coated Apple and also chocolate covered peaty biscuits. A very nice Peated profile. A bit coastal.
Finish: Pepper. Fruit. Soot. Licorice. Smoke. Dry and earthy.
Bottom Line:
I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. Being a Cask Strength devotee, I usually prefer my liquid at higher strengths, but this one really fells good on the palate at 43%. It is full of flavors with enough wood, peat and malt and it is all layered quite nicely, well balanced and with a nice fruity smoky finish. Good work by Signatory once again. Sadly I see this bottle is sold out at MOM, but I guess you can still find some in other EU shops, locally maybe. Give me a shout (comment) if you know of a shop that still stocks this.
Score: 88/100
Cheers Ofer