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Highland Park 12 Year Old Review

Discover our review of the newly revamped Highland Park 12 Year Old, now presented in minimalist packaging inspired by Orkney’s rugged landscape. Does the liquid still live up to its legendary status?

OVERALL RATING

9
$50
  • Charles Steele is an attorney and whiskey enthusiast with a penchant for the peculiar.
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Tasting Notes

About:

Highland Park Scotch Whisky is one of those labels almost everyone knows. Their bottles and labeling are iconic, with incredible glasswork and names to match. The standard 12-year Scotch was formerly known as “Viking Honour” but something has changed with Highland Park. Recent bottling appears to be dropping the black and silver labels for a more subtle white, black, and gold look. It certainly looks a touch more sophisticated sitting on the shelf when contrast with the bold lines of the old bottles. They still have beautiful relief work on each bottle, and it is obvious a lot of care went into the design.

To create the well-rounded character of the 12 year old, Highland Park blends whiskies matured in hand-selected, first-fill, sherry-seasoned European and American oak casks. Highland Park launched the standard 12-year whisky in the 1970’s. Highland Park is located on the Orkney Islands of Scotland, which is a group of islands north of the main Scotland island. I’ve read that the distillery is so out there and isolated that it is considered its own region.
Appearance:
Light straw with vibrant yellow.
Nose:
Smoke cloaked in honey and orange blossoms. There is a subtle spicy pop like peppercorns. The backend brings out green pears.
Palate:
Just lovely peat smoke subtly cloaked with light cigar wrapper, sea salt, honey, honeydew melon, and wheat grass form a complex tapestry on the tongue.
Finish:
A nice watery mouthfeel with mild cigar after taste. Warming to the chest without overwhelming, it slowly builds without going overboard. Faint hits of pepper in the cheeks without any residual fruit.
Comments:
This is subtle but oh-so clean! One of the most approachable scotches I have had in a long while. Spicy & Well-Rounded is correct. This carries the flavors from start to finish without a drop off or random misdirection. To me, this is a perfect intro Scotch and the price point makes it a real value purchase.

Scotch can be a bit of a mountain to try and get into. Most reasonable entry points into Scotch can be cost prohibitive for the amateur consumer on the flip side, most affordable Scotch isn’t really worth drinking. There are a few diamonds out there and this is one of them. It has subtle peat, malt, salt, grain, glass, tobacco. If you want to go on a journey of the five regions, this is a great starting point. Start by finding what you liked here and move closer to that region by profile.

I really enjoyed this and I think you will too. This isn’t some sleeper that will blow the doors of a supercar in a drag race. This is a well crafted workhorse type drink. It does what it does extremely well and you should enjoy it for that.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Charles Steele

Charles Steele, a Portland-based attorney, is a native of the Pacific Northwest. His legal background provides him with an analytical approach to understanding whiskey and other aged spirits. Primarily a legal writer, freelancing for The Whiskey Wash offers Charles a unique opportunity to showcase his versatility as a writer. Although his preference lies with whiskey and whiskey-based cocktails, he has a profound appreciation for all unique and unconventional liquors, from Malört to Ojen - if it's peculiar, he's intrigued.

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