Matured predominantly in European and American sherry seasoned oak casks, our iconic 12 Year Old single malt whisky is spicy and well-rounded, packed with the flavours of sun-kissed Seville oranges and rich fruitcake spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves; you’ll find molten heather honey in this whisky’s waves of heathery peat smoke. Why not try it with a handful of wasabi peas on the side or alongside a sizzling, pan-fried rib-eye steak or with smoked salmon and sour cream.
We’ve been crafting our award-winning whisky at the Highland Park Distillery in Kirkwall, Orkney, since 1798. Age, experience and respect for tradition may define our whisky, but it’s Orkney that sets it apart. Something magic happens here and the result is the wild harmony of flavours found in our whisky.
NATURAL CASK-DRIVEN COLOUR (NO ADDITIVES)
Glowing amber
FLAVOURS
Heather honey | Rich fruitcake | Winter spices | Seville oranges | Aromatic smoky peat
TRY WITH…
Haunch of venison, chocolate ginger biscuits, soft cheeses such as French Brie and even Japanese sushi and wasabi (yes, really!)
Review 81 1st November 2020
Highland Park 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky. Owned by the Edrington Group, other brands owned by the group include Macallan and Glenrothes. Highland Park is one of only two distilleries on the Orkney Isles in the Highland Whisky Region of Scotland, the other being Scapa.
Highland Park is a well known and much loved Whisky, I would guess most whisky enthusiasts have tried it and almost as many have a bottle of the 12 year old on their bar. We have had our bottle for a couple of years, slowly tasting it over the time.
We will start with some honesty, always a great place to start. HP12 as we will call it, was amongst the first Scotch Single Malts we bought, choosen because it came highly recommended and as a great example of a lightly peated and heather influenced single malt. A consistent whisky that serves as a benchmark for the style.
However, after picking up a bottle for around £25 while on offer in a supermarket, we weren't too impressed by it, there was nothing too distinctive about it, it appeared average. BUT these were the impressions from an inexperienced palate. Over time, allowing both the whisky to breathe and our palate to mature our thoughts changed. More on that after our tasting notes.
HP12 is sherry matured, bottled at 40% ABV, is chill filtered and has been colour adjusted. It has an average retail price of £31.57 and is widely available in supermarkets and will more than likely be available in your local.
On the nose, it is has a great nose with a heather honey sweetness. A very gentle peat note with some appropriately seasonal notes of spices and some dark fruit, maybe some juicy sultana and grape with cinnamon and clove. Its a great Autumnal nose, warming.
On the palate, it starts with the heather honey sweetness, a delicate smoke winds it way, binding the flavours of apple, sultana and orange with the spices of cinnamon and cloves. It like drinking a mulled hot autumn drink, but its a whisky. It has a gentle bitterness and is very slightly drying. The finish gets a bit too watery as it dissapears in a flash from the palate.
This is, now we have got to know it, a most excellent dram, its almost magical!
It is a shame it has been bottled at 40%, this whisky would be almost untouchable if it was aged 12 years and a miniumum of 46%. Would we buy another bottle? In short Yes and we don't say this often, it is worth the average price, but if its on offer maybe its worth grabbing a couple of bottles.
For it value score it recieves 86.37 out of 100, only let down by the presentation (ABV, Colour and Chill Filtration), boost the ABV to 46% and this whisky would be a 90 or above whisky, as it stands, we give it 88 out of 100 for it's overall score.
A thoroughly enjoyable well priced classic.