Highland Park not as good as I expected?

[Rushman]

Last HP I truly enjoyed was a bottling by cadenhead, one of my fave specialty bottlers.

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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=20.631704,-87.070650

[Mr.T]

Good timing on this one. I've got a bottle of HP 12 at home, which I like but for me the 18 year old is a very consistent and wonderful experience. And last night I had some Glenlivet 12 and really enjoyed it. Nice, light and smooth and tasted like apples and pears - lots of fruity expression. I could see drinking this on a regular basis.

[Rogers72]

I enjoy Highland Park. For me, Its the best 10-12yo FOR THE MONEY. I can get the 12 for just over $30USD here and nothing else in that range comes close. For anything better, you have to go $55 or $60. I prefer Islay but nothing for me in that price range. The HP12 is always consistent. A bit of sherry/orange peel/caramel apple. No peat to speak of. The 18 is just fine too but others I prefer in that price range.

[cottierm]

I really enjoyed the 25 years old which I had two weeks ago at my father-in-law. That said, the 18 years old is still the best, while the 12 is very good value for the money.

Best,

Michel

[Duane]

turned out to be a good thread

ardie 10 is a great staple always got some on hand, and if you love the islay peat may i suggest grab a bottle of port charlotte it was like jumping into a campfire and grabbing a piece of burning charred wood and chewing on it, scary at around 61% cask strength needs abit of water to tame it down and open up.

[gersonmorelli]

I really enjoyed the 1994 and was underwhelmed by the 1998. The 12 yo is a great bang for the buck. The way I see it Orkneys are a good way to start being introduced to Islays when you're used only to Speysides or even blended. Try giving a Laphroig 10 yo to someone who doesn't know Islays!...

[edlye]

Great to know that you tried the 1994. Do you have any comparison notes between it and the 12 & 18 year old?

I really enjoyed the 1994 and was underwhelmed by the 1998. The 12 yo is a great bang for the buck. The way I see it Orkneys are a good way to start being introduced to Islays when you're used only to Speysides or even blended. Try giving a Laphroig 10 yo to someone who doesn't know Islays!...

[gersonmorelli]

Great to know that you tried the 1994. Do you have any comparison notes between it and the 12 & 18 year old?

I've never had the 18yo.

[khomeinist]

I highly recommend the Highland Park 8 year from Gordon & Macphail. It goes for around 30-35$

Very light and fresh with some nice complexity for the price.

I have moved away from the more extreme Islay whiskys. I used to admire the brooding qualities in a highly peated whiskey. My palate has changed. My favorite distilleries right now are probably Clynelish, Glenfarclas, and Talisker.

[Ken Gargett]

tried the 1998 again last night. pleasant but hardly the sort of thing one would expect for the rep and the dosh.

[ayedfy]

It seems that nearly everyone in the Scotch world raves about HP12 (my box comes adorned in accolades from Jim Murray and Michael Jackson), but I've definitely noticed a consistency problem. Picked up a bottle a few months ago that I found very average, but tried it again in a bar recently (they had one of the newer bottlings, and their bottle was unopened), and I found it considerably better.

It's not the worst whisky I've ever had but I won't be rushing out to buy another bottle, especially when there are so many better (reliably) options in the price range.

[ptrthgr8]

I've really only been drinking scotch for a year or so now and most of my experience has been with Balvenie:

Balvenie 21 Year Portwood - love the stuff, lots of honey and fruit, great finish, my favorite scotch so far

Balvenie 17 Year Peated Cask - really good, but not my go to dram

Balvenie 14 Year Carribean Cask - not as complex as the Portwood, but more of a daily drink given the price point and quite tasty

Glenfiddich 18 Year - just got this last week, love the cinnamon tones. Still need to see if it can displace the Portwood as my fave

Laphroaig 18 Year - it's like chewing on a hunk of peat. Very distinct flavor, but not something I'd want every day.

I've had Johnnie Walker Blue (over-rated for all it is) and their Blue King George V (way better than the standard Blue, but not sure it's worth 2-3X the price of the Portwood).

I want to try a Highland scotch next. Is the Highland Park 12 year a good representative example?

Cheers,

~ Greg ~

[Marker]

A second on the Balviene Doublewood. JTs has it if you want a glass G. I like it a lot.

[ptrthgr8]

Greg, the HP 12 is closer to the Laphroaig (not quiet as smoky) than it is to the Balvenie. I love the HP 12 and it is one of my go-to whiskys in the winter (I drink rum in the summer). If you like the Balvenie line, try the Doublewood. You'll probably find that to be more to your taste and price point for a daily sip. If you want to move into smokier territory, the HP is a great place to start (as I said, I personally enjoy it very much) but to go a bit farther, it may be worth your time to look into the Laphroaig Quarter Cask. Delicious smoke and peat and bar-b-q coal flavours that warm you up without any burn.

I'll probably hold off on the HP 12 for now, or maybe just wait to try it when I can hit a restaurant or bar that has it available. I think I must be a Speyside guy. Which is fine by me.

A second on the Balviene Doublewood. JTs has it if you want a glass G. I like it a lot.

I've had the Doublewood a couple of times and it never really did anything for me. Seemed more mediciny to me than the others. It's been a while since I've tried it, so perhaps my taste for scotch has changed a bit over time. But the Portwood is just as good today as it was when I first tried it, so I dunno.

Sounds like a test is in order, Jamie. Perhaps we need to hit JT's one of these days coming up after work so we can have a cigar and some scotch.

~ Greg ~

[Marker]

I'll probably hold off on the HP 12 for now, or maybe just wait to try it when I can hit a restaurant or bar that has it available. I think I must be a Speyside guy. Which is fine by me.

~ Greg ~[/color]

Aberlour then. Great Speyside.

[gersonmorelli]

I want to try a Highland scotch next. Is the Highland Park 12 year a good representative example?

Cheers,

~ Greg ~

The HP is not a Highland despite its name! It is from Orkney, a group of islands north of Scotland.

As far as Highlands go, I like Dalwhinnie and Oban.