Highland Park and Macallan are not known for their whisky to be aged in bourbon. They are a sherry distillery, with few exceptions. I don't seek out bottles like this. Its a fancy box with a low age statement and a high sticker price. What you gonna do with the box?? Now I've had Alexander Murray HP 13 cask strength and that was decent for $100.. Great review
I tried a MaCallan 29 year ex-bourbon, another disappointment. I have to agree with you that these are sherried or sherry blended distilleries. Bourbon cask (only) does little for these spirits.
@@topshelfdustin3060 bowmore but only from independent bottler , bruichladdich, kilchoman, old ben nevis, highland park also from IB are great, bowmore and HP from OB are overpriced and inbalanced, only single cask show up true beauty ;)
My local Total wine has bunch of these bottles (Light and Dark) collecting dust on them in last few years while 21 year old flying off the shelves. I stopped buying Highland Park because both 12 and 18 year old I recently bought were really disappointing, there was a strong oak-alcohol note I couldn’t stand. Maybe it was not a good batch as I heard their products aren’t really consistent but I’m looking to get bottle of 25 yo as Mike always mentions that’s the one to go for.
This sounds nice, though I have a bit of a gripe with HPs over done marketing. Weird fact: Orkney used to be part of Denmark, but Christian I of Denmark pawned the island to the Scottish king for a dowry he couldn't pay - and he was never able to pay, so the Scottish just hung on to Orkney. Would have been cool with a whisky making colony ;)
Something that I never think to do in my reviews is bring the value in as a review factor. At the price for that bottle, your reaction tells me the value is a little low, considering that it's definitely not on the affordable end for uh... fiscal pedestrians like me. I definitely agree that having a couple of really knockout core releases is way better than scattershotting the markets with a zillion uneven bottlings. First of all, I find that it gets harder for the consumer to really find the brand's centre, and it's a lot more $$$ in marketing, labelling and boxes. Apple was too far down that road with computers back before the second coming of Steve Jobs. It was costing them hugely.
Greetings from your neighbor to the south! Cost is always a factor but I do my best not to let it effect the whisky score. Highland Park seems to have changed their identity over the years. They used to just make great whisky now it seems to have transitioned into fancy packaging and mediocre whisky, sadly.
@@topshelfdustin3060 Yeah, I just don’t have the patience for that. I want a solid core range offering so that if I really love a dram, I know it’s not going to disappear, or be hard to find, or whatever (okay; here in Québec, *everything’s* hard to find, but you know what I’m saying...)
I'm a buyer of the dark for 240 but not much more. Of course it's 300 retail in the US so it's still on shelves. Real shame those much more expensive bottles aren't better though. That's just sad.
Greate review as always, HP have better and worse bottles, with reasonable money full volume, twisted tattoo, but from independent bottlers even greater and old balanced single cask for 1/2 price of equivalent OB, but it was former days unfortunately
I was excited for this one too but tried it at an expo a few years back and it made very little impression on me. Far better IB's of bourbon-matured HP out there for cheaper.
Great review guys of a not so stellar whisky IMHO. Really don’t like the direction that HP is going. I would rather pay more and have them use expensive quality sherry cask like they have historically
I agree boys. Cheers.
yep, lame.
thanks rob
Highland Park and Macallan are not known for their whisky to be aged in bourbon. They are a sherry distillery, with few exceptions. I don't seek out bottles like this. Its a fancy box with a low age statement and a high sticker price. What you gonna do with the box?? Now I've had Alexander Murray HP 13 cask strength and that was decent for $100.. Great review
I tried a MaCallan 29 year ex-bourbon, another disappointment. I have to agree with you that these are sherried or sherry blended distilleries. Bourbon cask (only) does little for these spirits.
The HP Full volume showed that HP can do great bourbon casks. This one shows that you gotta be more selective.
Agreed
@@topshelfdustin3060 There are exceptions. I've been told by customers, that they enjoy that bottle.
What is your top 5 distilleries?😄
HP does not reach top 30-40 for me😬
Lagavulin / Laphroig / Balvenie / Talisker / Hp...but I tend to stick with there higher end stuff.
springbank, hp, kavalan, laphroig, and I hate to admit it but ardbeg likely but they've rapidly falling off.
My top 5 has to be Talisker, Lagavulin, Ardbeg, Laphroaig, Bowmore with a lot of hangarounds at 6th place😄
@@primewhisky bowmore doesn't make my list...30-40th would be too high for them :)
@@topshelfdustin3060 bowmore but only from independent bottler , bruichladdich, kilchoman, old ben nevis, highland park also from IB are great, bowmore and HP from OB are overpriced and inbalanced, only single cask show up true beauty ;)
My local Total wine has bunch of these bottles (Light and Dark) collecting dust on them in last few years while 21 year old flying off the shelves. I stopped buying Highland Park because both 12 and 18 year old I recently bought were really disappointing, there was a strong oak-alcohol note I couldn’t stand. Maybe it was not a good batch as I heard their products aren’t really consistent but I’m looking to get bottle of 25 yo as Mike always mentions that’s the one to go for.
review of the dark coming up, spoiler but we're much higher on that one.
@@topshelfdustin3060 can’t wait for the dark review, considering it’s 50$ cheaper in my local shop.
I loved this one!
Cheers buddy.
This sounds nice, though I have a bit of a gripe with HPs over done marketing.
Weird fact: Orkney used to be part of Denmark, but Christian I of Denmark pawned the island to the Scottish king for a dowry he couldn't pay - and he was never able to pay, so the Scottish just hung on to Orkney. Would have been cool with a whisky making colony ;)
Buddy, that’s great history. 👍🏻
Shame, nice packaging tho! These are miles better than that Fire & Ice set that still lingers on shelves.
We have fire and ice coming at some point. Yes, even more disappointing.
We might have to side by side the light and ice.. I feel like I liked ice more but it's been a while.
Something that I never think to do in my reviews is bring the value in as a review factor. At the price for that bottle, your reaction tells me the value is a little low, considering that it's definitely not on the affordable end for uh... fiscal pedestrians like me.
I definitely agree that having a couple of really knockout core releases is way better than scattershotting the markets with a zillion uneven bottlings. First of all, I find that it gets harder for the consumer to really find the brand's centre, and it's a lot more $$$ in marketing, labelling and boxes. Apple was too far down that road with computers back before the second coming of Steve Jobs. It was costing them hugely.
Greetings from your neighbor to the south! Cost is always a factor but I do my best not to let it effect the whisky score. Highland Park seems to have changed their identity over the years. They used to just make great whisky now it seems to have transitioned into fancy packaging and mediocre whisky, sadly.
@@topshelfwhisky Yeah, agreed. Makes me sad a little.
They certainly are pushing out just far too many weird mass produced one offs.
@@topshelfdustin3060 Yeah, I just don’t have the patience for that. I want a solid core range offering so that if I really love a dram, I know it’s not going to disappear, or be hard to find, or whatever (okay; here in Québec, *everything’s* hard to find, but you know what I’m saying...)
@@dribsanddrams to be fair these are like 2015 releases still on shelves so at least the hard to find aspect isn't an issue lol.
Think the light and dark is way better than the Odin, Thor, Loki, Freya series but still to expensive for what you got(240us dollar in Sweden)
These viking Hp's have been disappointing but Dark was a decent whisky.
I'm a buyer of the dark for 240 but not much more. Of course it's 300 retail in the US so it's still on shelves. Real shame those much more expensive bottles aren't better though. That's just sad.
Greate review as always, HP have better and worse bottles, with reasonable money full volume, twisted tattoo, but from independent bottlers even greater and old balanced single cask for 1/2 price of equivalent OB, but it was former days unfortunately
Hp like MaCallan have some great bottles but also some very mediocre whisky. Sadly, no cheap whisky to match the lesser offerings.
I was excited for this one too but tried it at an expo a few years back and it made very little impression on me. Far better IB's of bourbon-matured HP out there for cheaper.
absolutely correct.
Great review guys of a not so stellar whisky IMHO. Really don’t like the direction that HP is going. I would rather pay more and have them use expensive quality sherry cask like they have historically
Agreed, thanks buddy.