Highland Park 28 yo 1984 / 2013 Douglas Laing #DL9968 48.5% vs Highland Park 22 yo 1981 Kingsbury #6047 52.9% vs Highland Park 1987 / 1997 Gordon & Macphail #15474-15477, 15490-15492 63.7%
Highland Park 28 yo 1984 / 2013 Douglas Laing #DL9968 48.5%
Mild sherry influence showing notes of sweet jam, neroli, blackcurrants and black tea. Phenolics check in as well with unlit oil lamps, downwind white smoke, wet earth after rain and dirt smeared concrete. Sea soaked cloth, waxed wooden decks, myrtle and eucalyptus oil rubs. Gently phenolic whisky enriched by a a slug of richness but not lush at all, though emminently drinkable at 87 pts.
Highland Park 22 yo 1981 Kingsbury #6047 52.9%
Like other 1981s this seemed to be a lean and austere year for Highland Park, this one is no easy whisky. Bitter oranges, the thinnest of lemon zests, lots of lamp oil, a dry earth element that recalls some fractions of patchouli perfumers use to convey forest floor (eg. Enchanted Forest, Dryad) And also like the 1981 Funghi Whisky Agency, there are real suggestions of funghi here. I love it. Arugula, white truffle, petrichor, rubbed granite, bay leaf, warm sand, hints of petrol, pine resin. Difficult whisky but utterly rewarding. 91 pts
Highland Park 1987 / 1997 Gordon & Macphail #15474-15477, 15490-15492 63.7%
Young and immensely powerful. Pure peat, young malt, burning limestone, and but also flawed with musty notes of stale flowers. Corrosive on the tongue even when greatly reduced. Good lord. 70 pts
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