30 Décember 2022.
The Line Up Project
To be honest, I've never felt totally comfortable with this distillery. I think there are several reasons for this. Firstly, a long time ago I made an initial Line Up of it, which I was not at all enthusiastic about. Although I've always recognised that this distillery had enormous potential, I could only conclude that it was struggling to make the most of it. The Core Range is a bit obsolete in my opinion, with bottlings at 40°, and a fine, subtle distillate from another era, compared to the powerful, direct expressions I've become used to from the Isles of Skye, Mull or Islay. As far as I know, the distillery still practises cold filtration, and this really harms their distillate. So I very quickly turned to the independent bottlings, and there I was a little taken aback by the variety of expressions on offer, and the randomness of their quality. From a very peaty bottling from Berry Bros. & Rudd, to a silky-smooth from the Octave range, another one with a cheesy flavour unearthed from Gordon & McPhail,I didn't know which saint to follow.
In each bottle, we find the distillery's fundamentals: honey, heather, light iodine and peat, a little sea salt, citrus fruits, a long finish, and a sparkling, cola-like, sometimes milky, finish. But the variations are considerable and it can be a little confusing.
I kept on digging though, and over time I found what I think are the perfect expressions of this distillery, the ones that bring out the best in the distillate, with magnificent balance and fragile nuances. Admittedly, this distillery is less robust than its neighbours, but its weakness is also its strength: it is more subtle, better balanced, more nuanced, and in the end you wonder if it isn't the best.
Before I start, I'd like to mention a bottling that isn't part of the Line Up, but which had a profound effect on me, it's this one. It has the particularity of being very peaty, and it has to be said that Highland Park produces its own very specific peat in Hobbister Moor, just 7 miles from the site of the distillery. This bottling is therefore particularly unique. It does not have a good reputation, as Highland Park fans do not necessarily enjoy heavy peat. But if you find it, I urge you to try it. You'll get something very different from Islay, and at the same time very peaty. A bit like a Ledaig, but still different.
The Tasting
Highland Park 12 yo Viking Honour : Let's be clear, the Core Range is of absolutely no interest. It's a shame, but that's the way it is. Everything is good, but the cold filtration dulls the palate, and it is sold at a far too high price for what it is. However, this 12 year old could make a good starter, and can sometimes be found at the right price on special offer.
Fresh, citrusy nose, with a touch of peat to make it more complex. Heather, prickly bush. Light on the palate at first, then spicy. Sweet bitterness of the wood. A hint of vanilla. Good, sparkling finish with lemon zest. Score : 84
An Orkney Distillery 2006 The Single Malts of Scotland Reserve Casks 12 yo : Here's my first piece of advice: turn to this range for some very good, fairly priced Highland Park. It's certainly reduced, and not in Single Cask, but it's excellent. This is a glimpse of what it could be like if the distillery produced a Core Range worthy of the name.
Always fresh and iodized, the nose is sprinkled with a few squirts of lemon. Very light camphor. Enticing peat, sea breeze, spicy bush. Superb balance. Suave, honeyed, oily palate. Lemon zest, iodine and light peat. Slightly mineral, spices well managed. Very long, woody finish, dried fruits, heather. Rye biscuits. Score : 89
Highland Park 30 yo 2007 : Well, obviously, it has to be good. This is a very rare limited edition, this distillery can go very far if the means are committed.
The nose is perfect, very fruity, with plums and candied quinces, light iodine and discreet but deep peat. Earthy, woody, forest hints add complexity. The palate is sublime, with spring water, candy sugar, lychee, a few hidden citrus fruits, clementines, blood oranges and whipped cream. The finish is soothing, long, chocolatey, honeyed and woody. Score : 91
Highland Park 1991 Signatory Vintage 30th Anniversary 27 yo : Like its predecessor, this is a rare limited edition. Interesting to see what Highland Park needs to enter the big league.
The nose immediately stands out for its extreme richness, black earth, spruces, pine needles, waxed wood, sliced plums, rhubarb crumble, warm pear, followed by an intense palate with brown sugar in a knob of butter, buttered bread rubbed with garlic, fine spices, honey and heather. Very long, magnificent finish, first vergeoise and cola, then sweet macaroons, toffee, orange chutney, liquorice and soft caramel. Sublime. Score : 92
Orkney Islands 2005 Berry Bros. & Rudd 14 yo : After a first bottling that overwhelmed me, I'm exploring all the Orkneys released by Berry Bros. & Rudd, you never know. It can't be bad.
Return of iodine on the nose, chiselled, precise, but significant, married to a slightly dry lemon and fine peat. Evanescent smoke. The peat becomes more substantial over time, but remains ashy. On the palate, eucalyptus honey, rocky soil, prominent spices, holly, heather, quinces and dried apricots. The finish is powerful and explosive, charcoal and earth, thorny undergrowth, pine needles, liquorice and caramel. Score : 89
Secret Orkney Distillery 2017 Wonders of the World 4 yo : This young bottling marketed by a French company was much criticised on its release. Too young, no doubt, but with an original finish, it bears witness to the many experiments made with Highland Park, for better or worse.
A vinous and fairly light nose, but very fruity and pleasant, sweet at times. Fruit salad, noble wood, light smoke. Very pleasant palate, with peaches and pears with a good measure of spices. Quite long and juicy finish, slightly bitter, heather, undergrowth, herbaceous touches. Score : 88
Highland Park Cask Strength Release n°2 : What a nice surprise when I tasted this one. It's certainly a limited edition, but it's easily accessible, not too expensive, and of good quality. An essential purchase for any distillery enthusiast.
A good, sweet Sherry matches with chiselled, deep peat. Quinces, apricots, dried fruits, tinder. Finger-licking marmalade. On the palate, first silky, then spicy, pear crumble, brown sugar. The finish is really powerful, long and beautiful. Heather, bushes, nuts, cola. Score : 89
What I gain from it
- Forget the Core Range, too light in alcohol and cold-filtered, too expensive for what it is. The only valuable purchase in Original Bottling is the Cask Strength Release. But this one you must have it.
- Of course, the rare editions are sublime and show us what the distillate needs to make things really beautiful. Undergrowth, earthiness, more fruits and brown sugar. In other words, Sherry casks and deep nuances.
- Independent bottlers which are doing great things with this distillery include: Berry Bros. & Rudd, Elixir Distillers (with The Single Malts of Scotland Reserve Casks range), and Signatory Vintage. With the others, the quality varies, and there are sometimes a few daring experiments with random results. I haven't tasted everything, far from it, I'm only sharing the fruit of my experience.
- Highland Park is a distillery that really thrives on fine Bourbon casks, but a small Sherry cask does it no harm, and gives it the depth it needs. Wine casks, on the other hand, are not suitable. It's a subtle, nuanced, fragile distillate, and you shouldn't experiment too much with it. It's rather a distillate that needs to be strengthened by the cask but not hidden by it, so refill casks will be chosen first, while first fill casks should be used sparingly. And no cold filtration, please!
Conclusion
From 4 to 30 years, in Sherry or Bourbon, the profile is always fairly similar. Iodine and light smoke, apricots and heather, fairly strong spices, noble wood, slight bitterness. The finish, on the other hand, is more random. But on the bottlings tested, it remains satisfactory. You have the feeling of a mountain distillery, mountain honey in whisky form, with bushes and iodine. In any case, it's always balanced. It's a really good distillery, very efficient in its nuances.
All pictures were taken on the distillery site..
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