By Whiskyfun.com

Highland Park 25 yo 1980/2005 (55.5%, OB for Germany, cask #7363) Colour: lighter mahogany. Nose: yes! Textbook sherried HP goodness, complex and balanced, full of dried fruits and tarry smoke – and no traces of sulphur at all. Add honey, chocolate, rather cognac instead of armagnac, ripe peaches, pipe tobacco, old rancio, walnut wine, camphor, myrtle (a touch)… How lovely! With water: some earth and whiffs of brand new car. Plastic? More and more cigars after a few seconds, a cartload of Cubans. Mouth (neat): it’s a little rougher, a tad spritzig and rather medicinal, with a little antiseptic. And then, we experience the sherried cavalcade, but that would rather be jams this time, small berries, strawberries… Blackberry jam, anyone? Not quite a round and ample one, but I’m sure water will help. With water: all on teas now, it kept changing. Maybe a little cardboard too, but other than that, it’s almost pure black tea. Finish: long, with finer notes of oranges. Earl grey? Comments: this baby’s not that easy to follow. Quality’s very, very high, as expected, but I wouldn’t say it’s totally ‘evident’. I had hoped we’d jump over the 90-mark. SGP:562 - 89 Points.