hs305 scored this whisky 92 points 
[December, 2021] The distillery can be guessed even without opening a bottle because Highland Park only produced on Orkney from 1994 to 2004 (Scapa was mothballed except for some very rare occasional distillation runs done by the nearby HP staff to keep the equipment intact - but I doubt any of these Scapa casks were ever sold to IB's)...
...and after I opened this bottle it became obvious: This is another fine old Highland Park from one of the best periods of this excellent distillery. All lovers of heavy sherried drinks should shy away from this bottling because the sherry is rather subtle and not very impressive to you, most probably. The malt is leading this harmonic orchestration of aromas and flavours (as it should be in a whisky) but all other impressions of the wine and wood shine brightly too. I adore such drams!
PS: This could well be one of these rare "excellent 4th fill maturations" given the flabbergasting harmony of the holy whisky trinity (malt, wine, wood) and the resulting complexity of flavours. In that respect it comes close to my beloved 4th fill Glenfarclas Family Casks - but it owns a different profile (Highland Park), of course. And it proves (again) that 18-21 years of maturation is the best age for malt whiskies (stated by dear old Silvio Samaroli first, R.I.P.), most probably.
...and after I opened this bottle it became obvious: This is another fine old Highland Park from one of the best periods of this excellent distillery. All lovers of heavy sherried drinks should shy away from this bottling because the sherry is rather subtle and not very impressive to you, most probably. The malt is leading this harmonic orchestration of aromas and flavours (as it should be in a whisky) but all other impressions of the wine and wood shine brightly too. I adore such drams!
PS: This could well be one of these rare "excellent 4th fill maturations" given the flabbergasting harmony of the holy whisky trinity (malt, wine, wood) and the resulting complexity of flavours. In that respect it comes close to my beloved 4th fill Glenfarclas Family Casks - but it owns a different profile (Highland Park), of course. And it proves (again) that 18-21 years of maturation is the best age for malt whiskies (stated by dear old Silvio Samaroli first, R.I.P.), most probably.
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The colour is old gold and the nose is a little shy first (so I was tempted to go for a Scapa experimentational run instead of Highland Park). But this changed quickly after some minutes of oxidation and the trademark impressive HP profile unfolded with all the honeys, oils, waxes, heather flowers and whiffs of peat which can be found in there, usually. It grows stronger the longer it breathes so take your time with this nose - and use a big spherical blender's glass, if available. The sherry stays rather shy but it adds delicious subtle aromas to the mix - you have to search for them (which is fun, I swear!). I had this nose at 89 points at the beginning of the tasting session and then it went all the way up to the above score...
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The taste is nicely layered with again rather shy sherry flavours which let the powerful and delicious HP malt shine very brightly. Not that the sherry is overpowered by the malt, it is just that the malt is in the driver's seat but the sherry sits right beside it. The wood is perfect with a firm structure in the background without trying to enter the spotlight (as I like it). That is what I call a balanced dram! Some water unlocks even more aromas in the nose (the fruits grow stronger) but the layers start to intermingle now. A bigger reduction releases resinous and chalky aromas both in the nose and on the palate which is a quite interesting addition to the profile. I like this dram neat and reduced at different levers - it swims like Michael Phelps (or Mark Spitz, for all who are a little older already).
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The initial mouthfeel is as impressive as a HP should be with a warming, creamy texture coating all of my mouth within seconds - oh, how I love that! The finish is accordingly very long and adds more impressions of autumn flowers (heather), herbs and an interesting note of excellent olive oil (wow, that is rather unusual). Not the slightest off-note or imbalance again and not a single bitter or drying moment, these casks were bottled at a perfect time.
Just to be on the safe side I want to state this again: This is a dram for all lovers of delicate, balanced and complex malts and it requires both some patience and effort to discover all of its secrets. If you are in whisky for the quick and easy thrill (which is absolutely okay) you may find this dram rather average only, I guess.
