10/06/2022 Highland Park

Highland Park 28yo 1992/2020 (58.7%, Cadenhead specially bottled for Cadenhead's Whisky Shop Milan, Butt, 396b): nose: a bit nondescript, at first, with old, woodworm-eaten chairs and garden furniture. It is not long before lacquer rises, however, alongside burnt apricot compote and plantain peels baked dry. Then, we have Virginia tobacco, unlit mild cigarettes, dry dead leaves, and maybe a whiff of old cork. This one is quiet and discreet, almost spent, at first sniff. Something more interesting shows up after a few minutes of breathing -- something sweet, fruity and waxy. Now, apricots and physalis gently converse, with grapes hovering in the background, propolis and nuances of something funkier -- rotting apple peelings, probably. Then, the dull wood and cork come back to the fore. The second nose unveils tobacco again, fresh, lit and in ash form, all at once, which hints at a pipe more than a fag. Again, that morphs, but this time, it opens the door to Calvados. Quite the surprise. A soft, perfume-y, almost tropical influence attempts to surface, but cannot. Mouth: more assertive than anticipated, it is leafy at first, showing vine leaves and ivy, then it becomes enormously peppery. Swirling it around shakes the wood into dominating again, yet it is lacquered wood, now, rather than old garden furniture. Lacquered jewellery boxes, lacquered violin cases and so on. The second sip is not very different. Perhaps the wood notes refocus on older wood instead of the lacquered ones. It has a relatively thin texture, with a spoonful of honey in a mug of lukewarm water. Finish: at last, it wakes up, and it is a bit of a slap in the face as a result. Lacquered wood features heavily, but now, we also have pouring honey, apricot jam and physalis jelly, very fresh and superbly fruity, with some cracked black pepper to spice things up. The finish is long, yet the sweet-fruit notes soon recede to make way for an earthier side: liquorice root and nigella seeds provide both freshness and bitterness. Further sips come back to leaves -- colourful, autumnal, Virginia-creeper leaves. Oh! Dried strawberry slices too. Saved by the finish. It is a decent dram. Considering the pedigree, I was hoping for more. 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, WK)