Release No. 4 Official Bottling | 64.3% ABV

Score: 6/10

**Good stuff.**
***TL;DR***
*Evolving nicely in the right direction*

Time, and Highland Park, snuck up on me.

Ah, time. The universal constant and ultimate measuring stick. Even in mathematics and physics, time is a constant that never changes. Time is such a fickle thing, abstract in its construct yet powerful in its effects. I’m sure many of us have heard wizened statements of “blink and before you know it, your kids will be grown” or “enjoy it while it lasts”.

Who here has lost track of - or pushed out of their prefrontal cortex - the enigmatic and polarizing Viking themed Highland Park? I know I did. That is until they snuck up on me and smacked me in the face. How did that happen?

It has been a few years since I last purchased a Highland Park. There have been too many whiskies hitting the market and too little funds to spread around. So, too much time had passed. The last HPs that I had bought were okay but priced relatively high compared to their peers, at least at that point a few years ago. Fast forward that time button and a funny thing happens. Their prices haven’t changed while others have crept up. So price is no longer a differentiator. But has the quality improved and are they on par with comparables?

Enter the venerable and all-powerful blind tastings. Yes, those things. Great equilibrators. Preconception challengers. A friend hosted a ten-whisky blind tasting, paired from unpeated low %ABV heading to stratospheric peated stuff, also featuring a friendly game of poker on the side. Pretty sure I won the poker that night but I can’t remember. A fuzzy glow from whisky, a late night, and this, having happened a few months ago, all contribute to that memory lapse. But what I do remember is the Highland Park. It showed out. And big time too.

A Kilkerran 12 - a Campbeltown stunner in its own right, battled the much cheaper and easier to find Highland Park 12. Blind, five of six of us preferred the Highland Park 12 - myself included. Heck, I seem to remember guessing the HP12 as actually the KK12! I was very pleasantly surprised when the bottles were revealed. The following round (I think), also featured the Highland Park 15. You know the one, in the funny looking but also awesomely designed ceramic bottle. I remember enjoying that one very much as well. So much so that following that blind tasting, I purchased a HP12 and two HP15s on deep discount, plus this Cask Strength release. While I’ve been enjoying the 12 and 15s, I stumbled across a sample of the original that started it all for Highland Park a few years ago. So, with a little something to help us measure what’s happened during that time, I’ve chosen to analyse the Cask Strength release first.

Review

Highland Park Cask Strength, Release No. 4, Official Bottling 750ml, 2023 release, 64.3% ABV
CAD$100 (£54) paid, still wide availability

Straight from HP’s website:

Our fourth release has been matured predominantly in first-fill sherry seasoned European oak casks, along with first-fill sherry seasoned American oak casks, a small quantity of refill casks, ex-bourbon casks and – for the first time – ex-port casks too.

Nose

Needs some airtime after pouring. Do yourself a favour and don’t dive in; nose hair may be singed. Great density of aromas here, orange juice, flaked almonds, vanilla. Flashes of wispy dry pipe smoke and burning oak chips.

With water, those ABV-driven nostril prickles are virtually non-existent, and it reveals gloriousness. Cinnamon. Nutmeg. Rich honey. Praline nuts. Orange loaf.

The heathery peat, as Highland Park is so fond of referring to, is delicate at best and undetectable by most in this release however the empty and dry glass the next morning has undeniable light dry smoky elements mixed with the sweet residuals.

Palate

Kapow, cask strength hits hard out of the gate. Black pepper nibbles the inside of your lips and cheeks. Chili pepper tickles your throat. Post anaesthesia, your brain starts to realize there’s a good viscosity here, coating your mouth in a velvety layer of orange oil, milk chocolate, candied ginger, and mixed nuts. Sweetness comes in the form of a vanilla pound cake drizzled with orange icing, plus some honey helping to temper the heat. This is warm, cuddly whisky. At full power, I’m not picking up anything in the way of smoke.

With a touch of water. Candied ginger. Cinnamon creamed honey. I often find a spiciness associated with port casks and the sensations here point towards that cask. There’s a savoury side here too, but more of a feeling rather than a distinct note.

With a healthy dash of water: Er. Ma. Gerd. Most of those cask strength bullhorns are shorn, leaving behind a wonderful balance of sweetness and baking spices. The sherry casks here really pop at a rough proof of around 46% abv. Orange spice loaf. Date loaf. Light black pepper spice and distant dry smoke.

The Dregs

As I mentioned we have a bonus; I found a sample bottle of the inaugural Cask Strength release tucked away in my samples stash, something I reviewed back in 2022. Time capsule for the win! So how does it compare? Do I really pick out the ex-port casks versus the first-ever Cask Strength release?

Batch 1: brighter and pricklier on the nose with more char and smoke-related notes. On the palate, an increased peppery bite and charred notes are evident in comparison.

Batch 4: denser and darker fruits, baked dates and plums. On the palate, it’s less jagged and spiky with more baked fruits and denser flavours.

In comparison, I very much enjoy Batch 4 more than Batch 1. It’s less alcohol forward and peppery, presenting a much more refined and fuller experience.

I’m thankful that Highland Park has continued this on, especially when I can find many previous releases still sitting on shelves. I do hope they are going to keep pumping these out despite previous releases still occupying inventory space. And it’s a great treat that Highland Park has given us in North America a 75cl bottle, instead of the smaller 70cl. An extra dram or two makes this even more good value too, given its potency and ability to play with water.

Let’s hope that Highland Park has forgotten about time and keeps producing these releases. They are unique, powerful, and offer us a glimpse into what is slowly maturing with the inexorable march of time at Highland Park.

Score: 6/10

Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. BB

Dramface is free.
Its fierce independence and community-focused content is funded by that same community. We don’t do ads, sponsorships or paid-for content. If you like what we do you can support us by becoming a Dramface member for the price of a magazine.
However, if you’ve found a particular article valuable, you also have the option to make a direct donation to the writer, here: buy me a dram - you’d make their day. Thank you.
For more on Dramface and our funding read our about page here.