Highland Park 12 Years

Details about this bottle Edit
97
Highland Park
Scotland, Islands
Single Malt Whisky
12 Years
40%
0.7 l
Original bottling
Bourbon, Sherry, Sherry, Sherry Refill
Chill filtration - With
Average tasting notes Tasting notes
Calculated from 627 Tasting Notes
i
Nosing
Peat Smoke:
Peat Smoke:
Sweet:
Sweet:
Sherry:
Sherry:
Herbs:
Herbs:
Fruit:
Heather:
Heather:
Fruit:
Honey:
Honey:
Malt:
Malt:
Oak:
Oak:
Spices:
Vanilla:
Vanilla:
Zitrus:
Zitrus:
Spices:
Caramel:
Caramel:
Floral:
Floral:
Nuts:
Orange:
Orange:
Bonfire Smoke:
Bonfire Smoke:
Maritime Notes:
Maritime Notes:
Herb:
Pear:
Nuts:
Pear:
Herb:
Seaweed:
Seaweed:
Green Apple:
Dried Fruit:
Medicinal Smoke:
Lemon:
Apple:
Green Apple:
Medicinal Smoke:
Dried Fruit:
Lemon:
Apple:
Grass:
Cherry:
Grass:
Cherry:
Alcohol:
Almonds:
Peach:
Tobacco:
Pineapple:
Fig:
Almonds:
Fig:
Peach:
Pineapple:
Alcohol:
Tobacco:
Pepper:
Date:
Date:
Chocolate:
Chocolate:
Pepper:
Ham:
Iodine:
Hay:
Leather:
Banana:
Iodine:
Salt:
Leather:
Hay:
Clove:
Salt:
Banana:
Raisin:
Clove:
Raisin:
Ham:
Dark Chocolate:
Plum:
Berries:
Lemon Peel:
Lemon Peel:
Dark Chocolate:
Berries:
Plum:
Nutmeg:
Chili:
Tropical Fruit:
Cake:
Kiwi:
Tropical Fruit:
Cake:
Strawberry:
Kiwi:
Chili:
Oil:
Hazelnut:
Blackberry:
Hazelnut:
Blackberry:
Grapefruit:
Oil:
Nutmeg:
Grapefruit:
Strawberry:
Tasting
Peat Smoke:
Sweet:
Sweet:
Peat Smoke:
Sherry:
Sherry:
Spices:
Malt:
Malt:
Spices:
Oak:
Oak:
Honey:
Honey:
Herbs:
Herbs:
Fruit:
Heather:
Heather:
Fruit:
Nuts:
Zitrus:
Zitrus:
Maritime Notes:
Vanilla:
Vanilla:
Maritime Notes:
Oil:
Oil:
Herb:
Herb:
Nuts:
Seaweed:
Bonfire Smoke:
Seaweed:
Bonfire Smoke:
Caramel:
Caramel:
Orange:
Orange:
Chili:
Chili:
Pepper:
Pepper:
Salt:
Salt:
Chocolate:
Chocolate:
Dark Chocolate:
Dark Chocolate:
Floral:
Floral:
Ham:
Ham:
Alcohol:
Dried Fruit:
Alcohol:
Dried Fruit:
Grass:
Grass:
Pineapple:
Lemon:
Coffee:
Cake:
Peach:
Cherry:
Medicinal Smoke:
Leather:
Plum:
Peach:
Coffee:
Leather:
Cherry:
Medicinal Smoke:
Cake:
Plum:
Pineapple:
Lemon:
Blackberry:
Nutmeg:
Hazelnut:
Nutmeg:
Grapefruit:
Almonds:
Tobacco:
Barley:
Mint:
Raisin:
Hazelnut:
Grapefruit:
Apple:
Raisin:
Mint:
Blackberry:
Almonds:
Tobacco:
Apple:
Barley:
Walnut:
Berries:
Banana:
Banana:
Berries:
Strawberry:
Cinnamon:
Date:
Ginger:
Ginger:
Clove:
Date:
Cinnamon:
Walnut:
Clove:
Strawberry:
Finish
Peat Smoke:
Peat Smoke:
Oak:
Oak:
Sweet:
Sweet:
Spices:
Spices:
Herbs:
Herbs:
Malt:
Malt:
Heather:
Heather:
Sherry:
Sherry:
Fruit:
Fruit:
Herb:
Herb:
Honey:
Honey:
Nuts:
Dark Chocolate:
Dark Chocolate:
Zitrus:
Zitrus:
Bonfire Smoke:
Oil:
Bonfire Smoke:
Oil:
Pepper:
Caramel:
Chocolate:
Chocolate:
Caramel:
Maritime Notes:
Nuts:
Pepper:
Maritime Notes:
Orange:
Orange:
Vanilla:
Vanilla:
Leather:
Leather:
Floral:
Chili:
Alcohol:
Floral:
Seaweed:
Chili:
Alcohol:
Seaweed:
Tobacco:
Tobacco:
Raisin:
Ham:
Raisin:
Ham:
Salt:
Coffee:
Coffee:
Salt:
Walnut:
Walnut:
Dried Fruit:
Pear:
Pear:
Dried Fruit:
Ginger:
Fig:
Nutmeg:
Grass:
Almonds:
Lemon:
Cake:
Clove:
Green Apple:
Iodine:
Lime:
Nutmeg:
Ginger:
Apple:
Grass:
Cake:
Grape:
Fig:
Apple:
Grape:
Plum:
Almonds:
Plum:
Iodine:
Green Apple:
Lime:
Clove:
Lemon:

Quality rating of this bottle

3.9 Rate
1,146
Tasting Notes 627

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30. Oct 2010

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05. Feb 2017
17. Mar 2015
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14. Jun 2016
06. Mar 2011
29. Dec 2020
Once upon a time, there was a distillery on Orkney you could rely on. Then the Vikings invaded, and things went south. For nostalgia's sake, let's review the old HP12. Fragrant and well-balanced, the nose features orange peel, nutmeg and toffee, complemented by cranberries, parsley and delicate bonfire smoke. Sweet and malty in the arrival, the palate turns dry, peppery and mildly phenolic shortly after. Tangerines, bitter honey and hints of espresso round off the medium-length finish. Where are the good old times? Sigh. If it ain't broken, don't fix it!
RATING: 3.5/5.0 ≙ 84 pts
30. May 2014
dcatinella
09. Dec 2017
TheGreatMothra
16. Apr 2016
Nosing:
Sherry Peat Smoke Sweet Orange Chocolate Honey Spices
The nose is immediately sherry driven, with a light smokiness in the background. There are savoury spice notes (cardamom?) and a chocolatey/cocoa note also.

Taste:
Peat Smoke Sherry Lemon Spices Honey Oak
Sweet sherry arrival with citrus and spice. The smokiness is quite noticeable but not nearly as strong as Islay malts. There's a significant oakiness and maybe a little saltiness towards the finish.

Finish:
Oak Spices
Medium length with spicy oak and very slightly bitter.

Comment:
I don't know if its just my taste in whisky changing, but I don't think this is quite as good as I remember it in the past. The nose is very pretty and quite complex, but I remember the finish being better. Its still pretty consistent though and one of the reliable mid smokiness options out there, and the price is right as always.
TheGreatMothra
06. Apr 2018
Nosing: Zitrus Peat Smoke
The nose on this is initially quite muted but asserts itself after sitting for 5 mins or so. The nose is fresh with citrus fruit, lemon and grapefruit and floral components. There is some background musty peat smoke but nothing overpowering.

Taste: Malt Salt Sweet Peat Smoke
Medium sweet arrival, middle of the road intensity. Savoury and salty. Peat smoke kicks in on the back end.


Finish: Peat Smoke Pepper Ham
The peat smoke kicks in more on the back end, not as overpowering as your traditional islay malt. Black Pepper. It has a savoury meaty quality to it also.

Comment:
I hadn't tried the HP 12 since its rebranding and don't be fooled, it is a completely different beast. It has far less sherry influence than the old release and presents itself more like a quarter peated islay malt. The nose is fine, but lacking the richness HP used to have. The palate is good, but doesn't have a lot of character, still has the saltiness that I remember. Peated malts usually cover this sort of thing up with a preponderance of smoke, but this doesn't have it. The smokiness only really kicks in in the last third. I actually think the finish on this is quite good, it has that classic spicy finish still, but with a great deal more peat smoke than it used to have. I reckon it could have been a lot better at higher percentage, but with their official bottlings HP is going for the volume play. At least it is reflected in the price. I picked up a bottle at the supermarket for under 30 quid. Good job too though, I don't think the changes they made to it are positive overall.

Rating of article "Highland Park 12Y Viking Honour - 40% - 0.7l"