Favorite go-to Scotch: Highland Park 18

Blogging spirits again, this time on scotch. When asked about favorite go-to scotch, I always say Highland Park.

For newbies into single malt exploration, Highland Park 12 is perfect---nice balance of malt, peat, barrel, and age working in harmony together. An elegant, restrained, and highly sophisticated form of single malt, without any of the excesses that sometimes mar other, more boldly stated (unbalanced) single malts.

Core of the article:

The "Why" is easy: because Highland Park is the most harmonious expression of all the elements that go into making it a unique glass of whisky. It bears the stamp, in its briny whispers of the raging oceans that surround it, of the Orkneys. It reveals the essence of a unique place and a unique Norwegian-Gaelic heritage in its quiet but not at all shy pure persistence. It allows the waft of gentle, quite herbal and sweet, floral peat, a particular type of peat found nowhere else, in discreet and subordinated balance to the whisky, neither overwhelming it nor obliterating it, but harmonizing with it. It has peat, but it's not peat. It has barrel influence, but it's not all barrel. Why?: Highland Park is a balanced and nuanced expression of all its elements in perfect harmony.

Highland Park is also delightful in its specific fruitiness, a lovely attribute often overlooked in scotch. Where the fruit comes from, I have no idea. Perhaps it's the natural expression of similar molecules that are in fruits also appearing in the grain. Perhaps it's the subliminary assertion of some oloroso sherry barrels in the aging. But it's declaratively there, and declaratively delightful in its fresh, clean, precise liveliness, the pleasing presence of peach and apricot yielding to the tang of tangerine and the piercing tart fullness of grapefruit in delightful succession.

And there's that maturity and barrel expression, of course, but once again expressed with such melded harmony as to be understated, with the smoothly satisfying vanilla and caramel and wisps of bittersweet chocolate alongside but not dominating the tang of fruit.

But again, it's not just the components that make Highland Park a great scotch: it's how those components work together in seamless balance and harmony; they don't just co-exist as single voices, they sing in chorus together.

And the rationale for picking the 18 as the finest exemplar:

But in the end the scotch that fills my sweet spot perfectly, that captures that ultimate harmony of all the elements of malted barley, salty sea air, sweet but gentle peat like a warm and welcoming fire on a cold evening, and the fruit and spice and sheer taste of age; that scotch is the Highland Park 18 Year Old.

I've had bolder, by far. I've had older, by far. I've had multiple barrel combinations, and peat soaked monsters reeking of char and smoke and iodine. But I've not as yet had another scotch whisky that could be as immediately quieting, calming, mellow, charming, and all-encompassing as the Highland Park 18 Year Old.

And if anyone is still interested, the full article is here: http://violentfermentation.blogspot.com/2014/02/favorite-go-to-scotch-whisky-highland.html

Maybe you don't like the peat smoke as much as I do, Hoke, but I think both Lagavulin and Caol Ila, though somewhat different in style and intensity, are such gorgeously crafted whiskies, that the smell and taste convey a feeling of pure blessedness. They're not cheap, but they are lovely.

[James Roscoe]

I am with Steve! (BTW some Bone-Joly Rose was the perfect antidote to all this snow!)

Maybe you don't like the peat smoke as much as I do, Hoke, but I think both Lagavulin and Caol Ila, though somewhat different in style and intensity, are such gorgeously crafted whiskies, that the smell and taste convey a feeling of pure blessedness. They're not cheap, but they are lovely.

Hey, it's not that I don't like some peated scotches---although the 'peat monsters' hold little to no appeal for me---it's that I favor balance and restraint, where the other elements are allowed to show themselves.

I quite like Caol Ila. It's probably the single most under-rated scotch there is, actually. I like it because, although it's fairly heavily peated, that peat doesn't totally obliterate everything else in the scotch. Might help you calibrate me a bit better by telling you I am a fan of Bunnahabhain.

Let me put it this way: if the peat is revealed as a salty sea-air mingled with the background of a crackling fire in the fireplace on a cold night....that's good. If the peat is revealed as a souply liquid that smells and tastes like an old, dirty an infrequently washed ashtray in a dive bar that's had several cheap cigars stubbed out in it, then the ashtray is filled with a cup of seawater, a couple of dashes of iodine with a few scrumbled up band-aids and the smoke smells like a dead campfire on a cold day----then, no, that's not the kind of scotch I like.

I like Highland Park. Highland Park has peat in it, albeit a very low level of peat. HP is also still one of the few distilleries left that still does part of their own malting, as well as part of their own peating, and the peat is a particular style found only there, in that area...a fresher, brighter, fruitier style of peat. So it's not the peat I mind, no: it's the scotches where the peat is too damned heavy handed, and puts the scotch out of balance.

So don't worry: you can still pour copious amounts of Caol Ila when I'm at your place, and I'll gladly drink it!

Ardbeg (gotta like peat).

Lagavulin and Caol Ila are also nice. Does Caol Ila still make an 18 year old?

[Robin Garr]

Our household is partial to Talisker's basic 10yo. Peat? Sure! Ashtray? Ridiculous.

I too like Lagavulin and Highland Park 18 but they are a bit pricy for regular sipping for me. So on cold evenings I often find myself sipping Macallan 12 or indeed most recently I have been quite enjoying some Bunnahabhain 12.

Best Wishes,
Glenn

When asked about favorite go-to scotch, I always say Highland Park.

I visited Highland Park last year; it's on the outskirts of Kirkwall on the mainland island of the Orkneys, NE of the north tip of Britain, 12 hour ferry ride from Aberdeen.

Thought you might like to see some of the photo's I took, which you're welcome to copy and use on your blog post.

highland-park-furnace.jpg

This is one of their two furnaces

highland-park-malting-floor.jpg

This is the malting floor. HP are one of the few to do their own malting (most buy in ready malted) and they turn by hand

Thank you, Peter, for your thoughtfulness and generosity.

The Orkneys are on my bucket list. I was told it's a glorious thing to be there on a pleasant summer day...but it's difficult to predict the one day of the years that's likely to be.

Great pics!

The Isle of Skye is also a special place. Cornelia and I stayed there 18 years ago, at a B&B far out on the Western end. At a spot just a short walk from there we could see the Hebrides. It was magical.

st-ninians-island-shetland.jpg

We had a wonderful break there and the Shetland Isles

Travelled on an archaeologist led trip visiting the prehistoric remains. Superb stone circles and tombs. There has been a recent major find that is still being excavated that is rewriting Neolithic history.

We had mostly dry sunny weather. Photo above is sand bar leading to uninhabited island in Shetlands where the ruins St Ninians Chapel is (build 12C used until 18C -- in 1958 a schoolboy found a treasure hoard of Pictish silver in the ruins.

If the weather was warmer the beaches would be covered with people, but it was seals. The wind was brisk - but that kept away any midges

This was the tour we went on - http://www.brightwaterholidays.com/tour ... 1199FE82BD

The Isle of Skye is also a special place. Cornelia and I stayed there 18 years ago, at a B&B far out on the Western end. At a spot just a short walk from there we could see the Hebrides. It was magical.

Skye (and the drive to it) is my favorite part of Scotland. I haven't been back since 1999, but I lived in County Fife for 4 years and we'd take a "hill walking" weekend trip every year to Skye. I spent a lot of time scrambling around the scree slopes of the Black Cullins. Staffin, Portree, and Sligachan are all magical little towns and the Quiraing Ridge is amazing.

Talisker is a fine malt too, and good value.

Our household is partial to Talisker's basic 10yo. Peat? Sure! Ashtray? Ridiculous.

No need to be defensive about your favorite scotch, Robin.

My article was written to praise my fave, Highland Park, not to defame other more peatirific scotches. Notice I didn't defame peat itself, but aimed my arrow at unbalanced or awkward versions of scotch that unbalanced the dram with peatiness? Didn't mention Talisker, did I?

And the later comment about ashtray: fyi, that was directed more at some (not all, just some) Islay renditions. Wasn't thinking of Talisker at all. Different place, different peat, different soil, Skye Talisker. I enjoy Talisker perhaps two or three times a year, nice and rich and warm, more heavy fireplace than ashtray. It's just that it doesn't fit my preference for overall balance the way HP does.

My objection to what most people call 'heavy peat reek' (and by the way, it's the scotch drinkers themselves that call it that) is that, first, it's not always the peat...or just the peat...that's in play when reek is invoked. It's the smell of the peat, the peat the water has gone through or been influenced by, the nearness to the seaside brine, the amount of smoke molecules, the 'level of roast'...and then the maturation and barrel influence as well.

But, sorry, when I come across rather obvious rubber bands and band-aids and mercurochrome (for those who remember that, like you and I) and outright iodine over-riding everything else in the scotch, I'm not a fan. Just not my thing. Sorta like brett in wine: some like a little; some are so sensitive they are repelled by even a little; some wallow in in.

So, again, no need to be defensive where defensiveness is not required. I was writing to explain why I liked HP so much, and heavy-handed scotches so little. Had nothing to do with Talisker.

(I do wish some knowledgeable scot would put together a comprehensive educational/informational tasting on the different types of peat---in a terroir sense---and that effect on scotch. Not so much the smoke, the peat. (Probably, something akin to exists and a good soul might point it out.)

My own go-to Scotch is Glenmorangie. I do like some of the Islay malts, too, particularly Caol Ila and Lavagulin 16-yo.

-Paul W.

My own go-to Scotch is Glenmorangie. I do like some of the Islay malts, too, particularly Caol Ila and Lavagulin 16-yo.

-Paul W.

Hey, Paul...time was I was a pretty big fan of Glenmorangie too. Loved it when they started coming out with the different barrel-source versions. Eventually realized I was searching out the Glenmo because of the impressions of barrel, not the scotch itself (does that make sense?; I don't think I'm explaining it well.)

Then other scotches got my attention and I just sorta-kinda left Glenmo behind pretty much.

I'm quite taken with Caol Ila, and honestly do believe it's a profoundly good scotch, but has not been given its due by its owners/managers. Martin Daraz proved that to me some years agone---even though he's a Highland Park Ambassador, he's also staunchly devoted to Scotch Whisky in it's entirely---when he placed the Caol Ila in a blind tasting and it was outstanding against the competition.

Martin also gave me some necessary comeuppance---all of alcobev self-appointed critics need some comeuppance occasionally to keep us marginally honest with ourselves ---when he did a blind tasting and mixed in some Blended Scotch Whisky and Single Matl Whisky brands. Let's just say a few of us weren't quite as good as we thought we were at pinpointing blends vs malts, or nailing terroirs of whisky either, and vowed to go back to more assiduous and frequent tastings to keep us in trim.

Our household is partial to Talisker's basic 10yo. Peat? Sure! Ashtray? Ridiculous.

No need to be defensive about your favorite scotch, Robin.

My article was written to praise my fave, Highland Park, not to defame other more peatirific scotches. Notice I didn't defame peat itself, but aimed my arrow at unbalanced or awkward versions of scotch that unbalanced the dram with peatiness? Didn't mention Talisker, did I?

And the later comment about ashtray: fyi, that was directed more at some (not all, just some) Islay renditions. Wasn't thinking of Talisker at all. Different place, different peat, different soil, Skye Talisker. I enjoy Talisker perhaps two or three times a year, nice and rich and warm, more heavy fireplace than ashtray. It's just that it doesn't fit my preference for overall balance the way HP does.

My objection to what most people call 'heavy peat reek' (and by the way, it's the scotch drinkers themselves that call it that) is that, first, it's not always the peat...or just the peat...that's in play when reek is invoked. It's the smell of the peat, the peat the water has gone through or been influenced by, the nearness to the seaside brine, the amount of smoke molecules, the 'level of roast'...and then the maturation and barrel influence as well.

But, sorry, when I come across rather obvious rubber bands and band-aids and mercurochrome (for those who remember that, like you and I) and outright iodine over-riding everything else in the scotch, I'm not a fan. Just not my thing. Sorta like brett in wine: some like a little; some are so sensitive they are repelled by even a little; some wallow in in.

So, again, no need to be defensive where defensiveness is not required. I was writing to explain why I liked HP so much, and heavy-handed scotches so little. Had nothing to do with Talisker.

(I do wish some knowledgeable scot would put together a comprehensive educational/informational tasting on the different types of peat---in a terroir sense---and that effect on scotch. Not so much the smoke, the peat. (Probably, something akin to exists and a good soul might point it out.)

Hoke; you're not re-PEATing yourself, are ye?

Lagavulin, Talisker and a jealously rationed Ardbeg from before they were shut down for awhile in the 1980s are my faves. But I also love Highland Park!

Never had the 18 year old, but I find the 12 Highland Park boring. Well made yes, but lacks pizzaz.

Never had the 18 year old, but I find the 12 Highland Park boring. Well made yes, but lacks pizzaz.

And that is precisely why you should try the 18yo, Patrick.

Actually, I suspect you might like the 25, which is more lush and rounded and full, but the 18 has what I need in a scotch, and I can at least marginally afford and find the 18. 25 has gotten damn near impossible lately.

Hoke; you're not re-PEATing yourself, are ye?

Are you saying I babble? I may have a tendency to do that. A little.

I'm with Hoke, I find too much peat off-putting. I bought a bottle of Ardbeg recently, never having tried it; the whiskey reminded me of the time years ago when I asked the Scots proprietor of the Edinburgh Castle, a wonderful pub in San Francisco, why he didn't sell Lagavulin; he shuddered theatrically and said 'Because it tastes like seaweed and dead bodies.'

Each to his own. I love Highland Park.

I'm with Hoke, I find too much peat off-putting. I bought a bottle of Ardbeg recently, never having tried it; the whiskey reminded me of the time years ago when I asked the Scots proprietor of the Edinburgh Castle, a wonderful pub in San Francisco, why he didn't sell Lagavulin; he shuddered theatrically and said 'Because it tastes like seaweed and dead bodies.'

Each to his own. I love Highland Park.

Thanks for chiming in, Oliver. By all means to each his own, and I'm certainly not criticizing those who love to kiss ashtrays.

For a little more info on the subject of peat smoke and trends, here's a snippet of an article from The Globe and Mail:

Peat freaks measure their pleasure in parts per million of phenols, the chemical compounds responsible for the smoke. Laphroaig and Lagavulin tend to deliver between 40 and 50 ppm, while Ardbeg’s standard 10-year-old ranges between 55 and 65, depending on the batch. Ardbeg’s Supernova exceeds 100, while the latest Octomore registers a chart-topping 167.

Peat contributes not only smoke but nuances of iodine (especially in the case of Islay peat), seaweed, salt and damp earth. It’s an acquired taste, to be sure, but it’s by no means confined to whisky-sipping veterans.

This is referring to the peat reek scale used to measure scotch in ppm of smoke phenols. So if you're advocating a smoky scotch, you're advocating purposely inserting phenols in a highly concentrated manner. For wine geeks, that would be akin to advocating retsina: hey, adulterate my wine with totally external flavors, please. And, please, add more iodine, wouldya???

I occasionally have Ardbeg, the 10 yo and the Uigedail. They exist as oddities within my spectrum of dramming, to be had maybe once or twice a year, and I don't wish to have more than an ounce or two each time. Just not my taste preference.

And to give reference, the Highland Park would probably run 20ppm or far less. They want the warmth of the floral-herbal peat (VERY different from Islay peat) to be present but restrained in the scotch.

For anyone who wants to explore such things, you might try some Famous Grouse, a very good Blended Scotch (single malts mixed in with light grain spirits in a proprietary blend, the way 93% of scotch is consumed; and Famous Grouse is the most popular Blended Scotch Whisky in Scotland, where you'd think they knew a little bit about scotch. FG is essentially blended with Macallan (a topnotch sherry oak scotch from Speyside) and Highland Park, and some other single malts. Then try the Black Grouse, which is Famous Grouse with some Islay (and I think Campbelltown, but can't say for sure) single malts mixed in. The difference is notable. That might tell you how much you like a dollop of smoke phenol in your scotch. The Black Grouse is quite good, smoky yet still with nice restraint and balance, and I drink it fairly often.

But past Lagavulin and into Laphroiag and Ardbeg and way off the grid into Bruichladdich's Octomore? Nah, not my style. I can always just lock my lips around a car exhaust pipe if I want that level of phenol. (See, joke. That was a joke.)

And keep in mind: when I'm talking about all this stuff, it's often with newbies and pretenders, who will argue with me until they are apoplectic about how what they love about Macallan Single Malt is the well-developed taste of peat. (Hint: that is one of the best of the sherried scotches and there is no peat. They don't use peat smoke in Macallan.) On the other hand, some people don't llike Macallan because for them it is too fruity and too sweet and too aldehydic from the sherry barrels.

In a hotel in Edinburgh when I was barely of legal age to drink (in the USA) I asked for a single-malt scotch at the bar to take to the hotel lounge because I didn't feel comfortable at the bar. The bartender asked if I liked a "peaty" scotch. I said I didn't know as I was still experimenting but I would try a peaty one. He then asked if I wanted it straight or with water or on the rocks. I said straight and he said I could come back again the next day! I think he poured me one from Islay but I couldn't tell you the name of it. On the same trip we visited Auchentoshan Distillery.

In a hotel in Edinburgh when I was barely of legal age to drink (in the USA) I asked for a single-malt scotch at the bar to take to the hotel lounge because I didn't feel comfortable at the bar. The bartender asked if I liked a "peaty" scotch. I said I didn't know as I was still experimenting but I would try a peaty one. He then asked if I wanted it straight or with water or on the rocks. I said straight and he said I could come back again the next day! I think he poured me one from Islay but I couldn't tell you the name of it. On the same trip we visited Auchentoshan Distillery.

Ooh, I like Auchentoshan quite a bit. Lovely smoothgoing dram.

JC, when my son was just beginning to develop a real fondness for scotch and had an impromptu group of buddies form who would have periodic tastings of scotch to keep widening their parameters, I gave him a bottle of the Ardbeg Uigedail (one of the peat shriek producers ) and told him to try it...with the realization that it was a distinct style and he may or may not embrace it.

Later when I spoke with him I asked his response. There was a pause, as he was obviously trying to choose his words without possibly offending me, and he said, "Dad, this caused me to venture carefully....the, um, taste profile is pretty bold and that smoke and whatever, it's going to take some getting used to."

"You mean the ashtray and iodine?", said I. "Oh, yeah, you nailed it. Is it supposed to taste like that?"

He has since, however, tried many other Islay scotches and found some he quite likes. I think he will likely stay enamored of the Highlands, Speyside and sherried oak styles for his personal tastes.