Highland Park The Dark 17 YO

Highland Park The Dark 17 YO, 52.9 %

A few months back we saw the release of Highland Park The Dark 17 YO. This is the first in a series of two releases, where the Highland Park The Light 17 YO is due to be released in May 2018.

The Highland Park The Dark 17 YO is said to represent Autumn and Winter and has been matured in sherry casks. This is a "limited" run of 28 000 bottles. More details can be found here.

This whisky will be released in Norway on May 4 at NOK 2130. You can already get it in Sweden at SEK 1999 (8121801), and in the UK at around GBP 190.

Nose: At first sniff this is more The Light than The Dark, but let's explore a little further, a little deeper. Who knows what we might uncover. Ah, give it a few minutes and it sheds the light as an old coat. Hello Orkney darkness! It is a friendly darkness. It is sweet with honey and dried fruits. It is warm with spices - cinnamon in particular. It is rich with nuts and malt. A waft of wood smoke in the background. With time it reminds me of dark and dry chocolate and coffee beans.

Taste: Medium body but full on in flavor. Sherry fruits and sherry spices. A touch dry - cinnamon sticks and unsalted peanuts drive this. Sweet ashes. Maybe a little herbal or green - hardly noticeable on the nose for this particular whisky nerd, but it does tickle my taste buds just a tad - I think.

Finish: Medium long finish. Still relatively dry. Milder spices, the fruits less pronounced. A touch of bitter oranges. The sweet ashes are there all the way through.

Comments: Not as "dark" as one might think, but still a good whisky by any measure.

Score (87/100)

Sláinte! - Thomas