Highland Park 12

does anyone on here dislike this one as much as me???

i heard how great it was and tried to like it but it smells and tastes like medicine!

maybe im not sophisticated enough to like it...

just wondered if anyone shared my opinion? cheers

[Jojo]

On many occasions, I ended up liking a scotch the more I tried it. I remember the first time I had Highland Park 12 year (think I bought a bottle for group scotch tasting) and it was OK. Since I had the bottle, I'd try it every so often and ended liking it much more later than in the beginning. Interesting that you relate the taste to medicine. Two words come to mind when I think of Highland Park 12 year - sweet smoke - but as we all know, everyone can have their own different opinions.

I hope you end up enjoying it, so give it another try! Do you have any favorite scotches?

hey thanks for the feedback, well i would have never tried it again but someone gave me some free little bottles and i tried them and just hated them..
my favorite is mcallan12 yr, though i like glenlivit and glenfiddich as well, i like the suntory 12 as well... trying to save up for some mcallan 18..

i would never try highland park again even if it was free.

to me whiskey and all alcohols seem to have a slightly differnent way they hit you as far as the taste and type of feeling you get...i guess ill just stick with mcallan as i like it on both fronts.

cheers

[BourbonDrinker]

I would agree with Jojo above. I often buy a new whisky only to not love it for some reason, even after letting it breathe out of the bottle for a while. I always go back again give it another try before giving the bottle away. 9 times out of 10 I enjoy it much more. I attribute this to subconscious unmet expectations from reading other's reviews and tasting notes. I could give countless examples. However, if you don't like the style at all, there's really no need to go back. I would recommend trying a dram of Laphroaig 10 or Quarter Cask to see what a powerfully "medicinal" scotch really tastes like. It will reset your barometer. Don't buy a bottle, you're almost certainly not going to like it much. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try it anyway when one of your pals/pubs has a bottle.
Cheers.
PS I have quite a cold the last few days. I think I'm going to check out the medicinal properties of a dram of something tonight.
Probably some Talisker. (another one you probably won't like based on your reaction to HP)

Hey brian, thanks for your note, i do think there is something to raised expectations not being met for sure and i dont doubt you are correct that i would hate 'mediciny' ones that you mentioned.
to me its just funny how highland park is spoken so highly of by so many people on different boards and that i wouldnt drink it if it was free.
on the other hand to me mcallan 12 just tastes and smells like true quality and the buzz/head it gives me is so nice and clear. highland park though i know its high quality too reminds me of some cheap liquor that would give me a headache.
oh well its fun to discuss these things at any rate and hear from more sophisticated scotch connisures which i definately am not. cheers

[nitehawk55]

I guess everyone has different tastes and expectations with the offerings of Scotch Whisky that in part is what makes them so enjoyable . The quest for the "perfect" Scotch for one that you really like is a long winding road for sure . Before your next purchase you can do is some research online or get some books with good descriptions of how the Scotch will/might taste to you but it is definately not a perfect science as in the end you are the one that will give it the thumbs up or down

Honestly I've tried about 7 different ones in the past year and the one at the top of my list is the Highland Park 12yo , it's got this sweet smokey smoothness that I really enjoy . I'll be trying others as my quest continues and it will be interesting to see if another bumps H-P from the top of my list . Such a daunting task trying all these different whisky

[powderhound]

If you think that Highland Park tastes medicine-y than I strongly recommend you avoid Laphroaig at all costs

I thought Highland Park was fantastic and plan on buying more soon, but I love the peat and iodine heavy Scotches. I wouldn’t say that the iodine flavor was noticeable in the Highland Park I tried, but it was not the first I drank that night so my recollection may not be as sharp as it should .

Just purchased a bottle of Highland Park 12 and sampled it last night. I really enjoyed it. Maybe one of the best (IMHO) I’ve tried. Let me explain, I’ve just started with SMSW a few months back. I have tried about 8 different whiskies. I posted a question about ‘Scotch whisky by region’ a week or so back as to try to get a wide range to sample. I like most, some more than others of course.

I’ve been lurking this forum for a few weeks, much good info here, really enjoyed my reading and have learned a lot about Scotch whisky.

Back on subject, I thought the HP 12 was great. Smooth and slightly sweet. I didn’t get medicine from it at all. I pick that up in Lagavulin and Laphroaig, which I do enjoy on certain days.

Regards,

John

[jwise]

Laphroaig and Lagavulin (big Islay whiskies) are going to have an "iodine" taste to them. Hopefully it won't be overpowering, but it will be there. This is typically what people refer to when they say "mediciny".