Scotch

Highland Park 1961 22 Year Old Cadenhead

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OVERALL
RATING

Whisky Review: Highland Park 1961 22 Year Old Cadenhead

by Phil Dwyer
April 26, 2024

Tasting Notes:

About:

This is the style of Highland Park that made the brand famous a few decades ago. With it’s lighter style of peat and a heavy focus on first fill bourbon and sherry casks, these older, independently bottled versions of Highland Park shine so bright amongst the regular range bottles. This particular expression has recently sold for upwards of £1,300 at auction in the UK.

Appearance:

Manzanilla Sherry

Nose:

Cinder toffee and dying campfire embers. It’s the smell of bedtime when your camping holiday has gone on far too long into the early hours. Smoked pine and heather plants, mint toffee chews, Madagascan vanilla, not a strong hint of peat anywhere – the mint toffee notes are running the show.

Palate:

More mint to start, but then the peat starts to roll in! Those ever so subtle smoked heather notes, darker honey, lemongrass, coca-cola, more toffee and vanilla. Just a huge build on the nose with the flavours, with classic Highland Park smoke prancing around. Mixed peppercorns, a little sage and thyme, incredible texture to the liquid.

Finish:

Honey glazed ham, the herby notes are adding into a much more savoury finish. Thyme, sage, Prosciutto, honey, vanilla and toffee.

Comments:

A wonderful Highland Park expression that I would easily buy if I could afford to.

The Cadenhead Dumpy whiskies are classics, and they are highly sought-after at auction.

Highland Park Distillery, established in 1798 by David Robertson, is one of the most revered whisky distilleries worldwide. Situated on the Orkney Islands, off the northeastern coast of Scotland, it had previously held the title of the northernmost distillery in Scotland. However, Wolfburn has since grabbed this title.

Robertson bought the High Park estate and built the distillery, which was sold in 1816 to a syndicate that included an excise officer, John Robertson, who assumed control of production.

Throughout its over 220-year history, Highland Park has maintained its commitment to traditional distillation methods, including floor malting barley, peat-cutting, and cask-making. This dedication to craftsmanship has earned them numerous awards and global recognition.

The distillery proudly embraces its Viking heritage. The Orkney Islands were once part of a vast Viking kingdom, and this history is reflected in the distillery’s identity and the ‘Viking Souls’ at the heart of its community.

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