When browsing through my sample shelf and thinking I had to finish off some of those samples finally, I found a nice Highland Park 10 bottled for Whisky Live Belgium 2010, at 59.3%. An original bottling of the Orkney distiller and I thought I was pretty lucky to be able to procure a sample!

Nose:
Sharp and spirity, quite young at first. It does have quite a big nose on it with polishing wax, old furniture. Some over ripe fruit with cinnamon and fruitcake.

Taste:
The flavour is full and sweet, quite sharp in my cheeks but smooth everywhere else. It has spiced hot fruit, with some wood to it and a hint of caramel.

Finish:
The finish is a little more crisp than I expected. Quite long and very complex. Some fudge notes are added to what was already there. Something nutty as well.

This is one cracker of a Highland Park! Its not much like other Highland Parks I remember from the top of my head, but it sure ticks a lot of boxes of the ‘good whisky’ category. I love the complexity, and the complexity of a Highland Park shouldn’t be all too surprising. The biggest surprise came when the spirity note on the nose passed to deliver all those heavy scents. Love it!

Highland Park 10, 2010, 59.3%, Whisky Live Belgium