It gets rough. | Highland Park Cask Strength REVIEW

[@yoursinsincerely39]

Geoff...wow. I choked on my morning coffee. Thank you for that lovely imagery that has now permanently scarred my brain. I actually love this whisky. We get this one at 80$ here and for a cask strength whisky. I particularly enjoy the burning wooden matchsticks accentuated by robust spices and a undercooked quiche notes. I also get lovely sherry, lavender and that Orkney sea spray. Bit of chilly oil in the finish as well. In the end it is a little one dimensional but I like it. Also, despite the common consensus of this being too hot to handle, I found it surprisingly accessible which basically reaffirms my fears that I have destroyed my taste receptors. Again, a vulcan salute to your analogy. Dude...

[@Gwhisky]

Hah apologies, I might have traumatized a few of my viewers with this one. 😂 I think $80 for this is perfectly fair. Great, big, bold flavours. I'll be on the lookout for those quiche notes and chili oil! It's not too hot to handle. It's a hot whisky, but it's perfectly palatable with a helping of water. Nor is the "heat" youthful or astringent. It's more of a "wild" heat, if that makes any sense at all... Live long and prosper, Soumya!

[@PSNeko]

The Edrington group never puts e150 in their single malts. So no coloring!

[@Gwhisky]

Good to know! Thanks Lukas!

[@derekthedullard]

Hey dude, nice review! I'm one of the spirits educators/brand ambassadors for Edrington UK. Something that I wanted to correct you on which a lot of people still don't really understand. You said it is matured in a sherry seasoned cask rather than an original sherry cask Sherry seasoned casks are the industry standard and have been since just after 1981. Sherry stopped being transported in casks in 1981 due to a law change in Spain which meant sherry had to be bottled in Spain rather than it being shipped in transport casks over to the UK and various other countries. From that point distilleries had to come up with another way of acquiring sherry casks, so the idea of sherry seasoning came up. Distillers will have relationships with foresteers [sp] across the US and Europe where trees are harvested. The logs will be chopped into staves, sent to Jerez to be toasted, then filled with oloroso sherry for usually around 18 months. This is the industry standard practice across all brands now. Doing this process actually gives the distiller way more control as to what happens with the wood, as the toasting level and seasoning level can be totally controlled. It will mean a way more consistent product over time. I hope this clarifies that point! If you have any questions, give me a shout. I've subscribed to your channel too. Cheers, Joe

[@Gwhisky]

Very informative! I know that seasoned casks are the go-to now, but I had no idea about the history behind it. Cheers Joe, appreciate it!

[@dramman-onlydramnodrama4845]

“It’s like banging a Klingon”. Geoff, you bring new meaning to “where no man has gone before!” The next nerd stop is Star Wars, comparing the bottle’s alcohol strength to that needed to fend off a drunken, amorous Chewbacca - may the force be with you! In any event, it is clear that you are the best reviewer out there.

[@Gwhisky]

Amorous Chewbacca... hah! Love it! Appreciate the kind words, Dram Man. Live long and prosper!

[@wp2746]

Hope you can get a bottle of bloodwine one day to review, kapla !

[@Gwhisky]

A toast of bloodline to your honour! 🥃

[@frankmarasco6233]

Not a fan of the HP 12: too weak. The one thing i'll say about this bottle is it finally earns it's Viking theme. I have the No. 2 release. I think this is great. It's a punch in the face in a good way. A bit of water takes some of the edge off and opens it up. But brings the spice further forward to me. Here in the US (NJ) I can pick it up for 85 bucks and that is a great deal. I like the suggestion of putting it in some 12.

[@Gwhisky]

Yeah I keep hearing great things about batch 2. Looking forward to trying it! 🥃

[@eviltrain24]

Is this the Batch #1 or Batch #2 release? Judging by online reviews, they are not identical and at least one reviewer has noted a preference for #1. I have the Batch #2 and absolutely love it. Price on the US West Coast is $80 ~ $90. D'oh! nvm. just noticed that in your comment. Batch 1 release.

[@Gwhisky]

Heh yeah batch 1. I think $80-90 is perfectly fair for this stuff. Really looking forward to trying batch 2!

[@JesusMariaDiosPadreDiabloSatan]

"You know...!.." JAJAJAJAJA Omg, I'm in tears.

[@traviskingdon3636]

That’s a mad dog review !

[@ps3inquisition441]

I tried it once, drank it neat, and loved it. The peat is much stronger than the rest of the range. Need to pick up a bottle for myself, I like it more than the 12, 15, and 18.

[@Nikolay_Nikolov]

Damn it, Geoff, you have outdone yourself with this one :) Highland Park is E150a free, it's official. So are the cask Strength releases. Oddly enough "natural colour" is printed in the tasting notes on the back label of the bottle :). I remember having read a comment on whiskybase about a brand ambassador of Highland Park who had said that Release 1 was exactly 12 yo and virtually cask strength version of the standard 12 yo and Release 2 was 13 + yo with accent on the sherry influence. The next release is to be more peat driven according to the same brand ambassador. Whether the above is true though I cannot tell :) I have both releases 1 and 2 but still haven't tasted any of them. Paid between 51 and 55 euros for each bottle which I consider to be a fair price. The Cask Strength releases are IMHO the best price/value offers of Highland Park available in Bulgaria, at least presentation wise. Smell and taste wise it's up to personal preference but the objectively measurable quality is there, no doubt about that. As for the cask strength thing, I always do add water to my malt whisky cask strength or not. I do take the first sip neat, then add water and wait some 10-15 minutes before next taste. Only whenever I drink some low ABV supermarket blends I sometimes pass on the water because they don't have a great deal of hidden flavor to be dug out in the first place. Cheers!

[@dairyyang5457]

Would be surprise if it's true about Release 1 and the standard 12 yo thing. As my tasting, the flavor profile are not that similar.

[@Gwhisky]

You're right. HP is always natural colour. It might say that in Chinese and I just missed it. As Dairy noted above, I'd be surprised if this was just an amped up version of the 12. I find the profile of this and the standard 12 to be very different. I guess it's possible, though. If the Whiskybase guy is right, then batch 2 sounds like it's right up my alley! I'd say €50-55 is fair for this stuff. We just have to keep in mind that we're buying a beast, not a beauty. I'll agree that for that price they offer better value than the neutered HP12 at 40%. As someone who rarely waters my whisky, this one caught me off guard. Water is an absolute must here! Cheers!

[@thewhiskybadger174]

One of my fav CS bottles is a 9yo Bunnahabhain indie bottle at a ridiculous 68.4% abv. It's also from a first fill sherry hogshead though, so it's not hard to suffer through some burn for that amazing flavor. No comment on Highland Park...

[@Gwhisky]

Bunna, man. What a whisky! Cheers!

[@chefmarv6499]

130$ CDN in Quebec. A little expensive for NAS cask strength, but Highland Park premium I guess.

[@Gwhisky]

That's a bit much, yeah. Then again that's true of everything sold at the SAQ.

[@peatbull3426]

There is no statement on the label but batch 2 is 13+yo and 63.9%. For every CS lover is must have. Lovely stuff, maybe the best HP nowadays. 🙋‍♂️

[@chefmarv6499]

@@peatbull3426 sold! oh wait, it's all gone...:( must wait next batch

[@rosscraton2235]

love the nerdy humor! HP has such a cool and unique house style i wish they just made more of their “regular” whiskeys in the craft direction. i have this one at home (batch 1) but haven’t opened it yet. do you think it’s worth holding on to and selling later? i thought it’s possible the first batch might hold value

[@Gwhisky]

It's possible it will hold value at some point. A lot of brands are probably banking on their "batch 1" releases being worth something someday. I'm not sure how much it will climb in value. It's a good whisky. If it was me, I'd probably go ahead and drink it!

[@BanjoSick]

Whisky and TNG, two of my favorite things combined! What could be better? Highland Parks viking design in recent years is quite hokey though, even for a guy like me living in Norway, haha.

[@Gwhisky]

Hah I agree, it's tacky. I don't hate it, but yeah, I can see why others do.

[@STVG71]

I have a HP number 2 sitting down in my basement next to a Ledaig 10 that I'm waiting to bring up once I have some room. I'm really looking forward to trying this bad boy!

[@Gwhisky]

It's a beast. Hope you enjoy!

[@AlinJapan]

I found release #1 to be a bit hot and #2 to be more accessible and the better of the two in my opinion. Hope you get a chance to the #2.

[@Gwhisky]

I hope so too. It sounds good!

[@langtoun8235]

Wonderful 🤣🤣🤣

[@carlmartinlinder]

The Highland Park Cask Strength are the only official bottlings I keep, and I love them. It might be intersting to know that the C.S. were Sweden limited releases. Batch 1-4 only for Sweden (perhaps for Scandinavia?). What is world-wide batch #1 is #5 in Sweden and the last release #2 is consequently #6 in Sweden (the best according to me).

[@Gwhisky]

Wow lucky you! Were there any notable differences between the previous releases and the standard international ones?

[@carlmartinlinder]

@@Gwhisky I only have #3, 5 & 6 and out of them #6 is the best, just ahead of #5. It is not a huge difference, but you can still distinguish them.

[@andrewmckay8972]

Hahaha brilliant. Great review, glad to see you keep it real and don't just fluff your review s as many do. For the best Cask Strength 12 Look no further than the Springbank 12 cask strength.

[@Gwhisky]

Agree! Springbank 12 is a beauty!

[@Bomshankan]

Great review as always - love the references! I've got both release 1 and 2 on shelf and both are very good - I do lean towards the later version, which many others have already commented is 13+ years according to sources, and somewhat more refined around the sherry casks. I think the Release 1 is more akin to a HP 12 - just with infinitely more oomph, while the Release 2 reminds me more of the 18. If you ever get the chance to try it, Highland Park released a special CS version a few years ago - prior to these new CS bottlings - called Orkney Rowing Club. Its a NAS, but does about the same thing as the Release 2, just with a better selection of casks. Its a really delicious rendition of younger HP and highly recommended! Again thanks for the review! Sláinte!

[@Gwhisky]

I've never seen that Orkney Rowing. I'll grab it if I do, but I don't think I'll hold my breath for it. Really enjoying Release 1, though, and you aren't the first to tell me the second is better. It's on the wishlist! Cheers!

[@axelvonwu2378]

Hey Geoffrey, I have a request. After enjoying the Kavalan blind tasting, would you mind doing another one of those, with the 15 years old expressions of Glenallachie, Glendronach, Glenfarclas & Tamdhu? Would be very interested to see that. Thanks!

[@Gwhisky]

I've already shot a list of my top 5 15 year old sherried whiskies. It's not blind, though. You can expect that video quite soon. Unfortunately I didn't include Glenallachie on the list, as I'm not a fan. Cheers Axel!

[@DinesenDude]

I have Batch number 2 and I find it to be surprisingly smooth and easy drinking at full strength. And its not just because i'm getting numbed out by the alcohol, since its the same when i add water. It is delicious, too. Maybe they rectified the flaws if batch 1?

[@Gwhisky]

I've heard the 2nd batch is a bit rounder and easier with a heavier sherry influence. Sounds fantastic!

[@WhiskyLock]

I like this one but I can't see myself buying it at twice the price. FWIW I had a look at the label from my UK bottle that's been pinned to my pinboard and on the back (under tasting notes no less!) it says 'Natural Colour'. Because it.... tastes(?) like natural colour...? I think someone at Edrington has synesthesia... I also admit to enjoying drinking this neat but whether you enjoy that or not, it's probably not something any of us should make a habit out of when you're dealing with 60%+ for the sake of our throats! Also... I know that Highland Park like to fill their casks at a low 60s ABV... so that either means some very tight casks or a very brief maturation! I agree with you that this doesn't match the flavour profile of the 12yo. I think it tastes noticeably younger (maybe 8-10 yrs tops) and you can tell that they're *sherry seasoned* American oak casks rather than the real deal. Still a good buy at £50-60 though... although not essential. Even for an HP fanboy like me. As others have said, it's greatest selling point is the ability to undo the 'water damage' that Highland Park do to their 10 and 12 year old whisky. Cheers!

[@Gwhisky]

Undoing the "water damage" is much appreciated, although they might be overcompensating a touch here! Neat, eh? I suppose if a throat lozenge isn't doing the trick... I like to brag about rarely needing water, but this one got the better of me. I've heard they've rounded out some of those rougher edges for the second release. I'll have to try it out if I can get it for a decent price. Cheers!

[@davidowen2834]

Hi Geoff, haven’t had this but a very enjoyable video 👍. Mainly I try CS whiskies neat but I generally prefer them with water. Some only take a few drops others take 2 or 3 teaspoons. Slàinte Geoff.

[@Gwhisky]

I do play around with water myself, but I often end up drinking the majority of stuff neat, even at cs. Those that do take water are usually diluted with just a few drops. We're into teaspoon territory with this one, though. Still, really fun stuff! Cheers David!

[@AlinJapan]

I can relate to weird pricing in Japan--some whiskies are surprisingly underpriced (once saw AncNoc 18 for under $60) while many others are way overpriced, including Japanese whiskies like Yamazaki 12 (now roughly $120 retail and $200+ on the 2ndry market).

[@Gwhisky]

Yeah I've heard that Taiwan and Japan have many of the same "quirks" when it comes to whisky pricing. Cheers!

[@kiwigor]

Ahahaaaha you’re on fire here! dropped a few f-bombs and proved being a super nerd quoting Worf and contemplating good times with that Klingon lady…. I love this review!!! And i‘m not even a Highland Park fan… Still… i will try this when I can and hopefully it won’t taste like something out of a replicator! 👍🤓

[@Gwhisky]

Hah thanks! Letting my nerd flag fly! Cheers!

[@allanwhittle3041]

Ha Ha Mr G is getting poetic , aggressive , theatrical ...In an Attack Dog kinda way !! Good stuff mate , I agree with your findings professor , this is serious stuff , I love it , tried it , bought 3 of em , they will last a while , its not an everyday tipple ..But as you say ...chuck in the water and its damn good ....Top Review !

[@Gwhisky]

Some water and some time in the glass and she's an untamed beauty! Cheers Allan!

[@juanmlsanabria]

I do like HP, specially their entry level 12 yo and The 18 yo, i think i enjoy their housestyle. But, i don't enjoy high ABV whiskys much, i would say so far my range goes from 40% to 55%, other than that i don't like pouring water to my whisky, so i think it is better for me to try a sample first than buying a bottle of this beast. Thanks for the honest review. Cheers!!

[@Gwhisky]

Well if you're not usually a fan of higher abvs then this one is definitely one to sample first. It's bolder than most cask strength whiskies I've tried, and water is a must!

[@andrewmainprice2179]

One of my first scotches was Highland park 12 about 5 years ago. I haven't bought a bottle from Highland park since because of the low abv and the hype about the product. I always think the more noise the worse the whisky will be.

[@TheReal_DeanD]

I never thought Star Trek would be brought in so very smoothly and cool into a whisky review. Well I got this bottling at retail. When I do drink it I'll be sure to go over Klingon mating habits before hand. TBH when I think of Cask Strength whiskys they are whisky concentrate. Must add water to properly enjoy.

[@Gwhisky]

Hah thanks Dean. I agree that water does help open up a lot of the flavours, as well as round out some of the other rougher edges. Trust me, you'll be a little bit extra with this one!

[@cecilrobbins5182]

Another absolutely engaging review! HP CS is listed in Michigan's liquor pricelist as $89.99 But it's always "out of stock"(go figure). Anyway I have been trying to get it for 3 months.... we'll see. Watch the f...bombs there's a few of us that remember folks dropping them to be cool of to add emphasis. I guess my question is....why? Or it's just unnecessary roughness, nough said. Keep reviewing....

[@Gwhisky]

I've heard most of my American viewers say it's typically between $80-85, which is fair. $90 isn't bad either, still a great bottle for the price. Cheers!

[@michiduro4870]

Yes this one is great if you like dramatic and agressive whisky haha. It will make any manlyman a not so manlyman when drinking this haha. i have tried both batches and i like them both, batch 2 a 1 point better, as it tastes bit older with a bit less heat. as a CS lover and almost only drick CS i do always have these in my cabinnet. Cheers from Sweden

[@Gwhisky]

Lol manlyman whisky indeed! I'll have to get my hands on the batch 2 at some point. Cheers from Taiwan!

[@dairyyang5457]

Hah, you made my day! Though I believe there's something nerdier: the marketing story of contemporary HP releases. 😂😂 I like the release 1 mainly by its boldness and classic HP elements. That being said, I would go for the HP 18yo from the core range; more fruitiness and barley, not bold not fun but delicious.🍺🍺

[@Gwhisky]

I haven't had the 18 in years. Personally, I found it a bit underwhelming at the time. They do have a travel retail release available at 46%. That is one I'll be looking out for. Thanks for the swap, buddy. I wasn't expecting much, but it turns out I enjoy this one!

[@dairyyang5457]

Hah, that's fun! The 46% version will be there next time we meet!

[@Gwhisky]

@@dairyyang5457 Hah awesome! 🙏🥃

[@absolutwhisky3105]

I just saw this HP CS batch 2 over the weekend for around 3.2k NTD, do you think its worth for that price? I hesitated and wanted to do some research first. Your thoughts is gladly appreciated. For the same price they are offering Laphroaig 10 cask strength and Laphroaig 10 sherry oak. Should o get those instead?

[@Gwhisky]

All three of those are expensive! None should be that much. My HP cs was a bottle swap, and a friend helped me order in my Laphroaig cs from the UK. If you check big online UK retailers like MoM or TWE you'll find that all 3 of those are massively overpriced...

[@absolutwhisky3105]

@@Gwhisky i agree they are over priced like double the price. Thats why i hesitated to get the bottle immediately when i saw them. Thanks for this inputs. I'd rather get other bottles like the Oban 12 2021 i just. Appreciated the response Geoff.

[@thenakedsingularity]

I had Klingons before.

[@wouterblom7569]

Hi Geoff spot-on review. Here’s a tip: if you have ‘unnamed Orkney’ bottlings or meagre 40% HP distillery bottlings, I find it helps to lift that dram by pouring a drop of this Cask Strength into that other dram. Still a single malt, and typically it adds a lot of oomph. Cheers!

[@Gwhisky]

That's a great idea! I'll have to keep some of this around for my next bottle of HP12! Cheers Wouter!

[@ConcaCon]

Absolutely love the Star Trek references, I'm a nerdy chap myself. I have this one on my list and I've seen some fairly acceptable prices, this being a cask strength whisky. I've had a few CS drams so far, them being Wild Turkey Rare Breed, Scarabus Batch Strength, a 6yo Bunnahabhain Staoisha at 60.3% ABV, and lastly a local German whisky (Glina 10yo in Bordeaux, Port and Cherry Wine casks). I might get this one, if only as a, let's say, "spiritual test".

[@Gwhisky]

Well I hope you like it if you do pick it up! Lol "spiritual test." Love it!

[@Hingspiration]

K'plah! 😁

[@Gwhisky]

K'plah! 😂

[@welshtoro3256]

I remember when this first hit the shelves. Given Highland Park's record of low abv in their core range along with some fairly hefty prices for said releases, this one raised a few eyebrows. Cask strength and the price wasn't bad. Guess what's missing? That's right, an age statement. This stuff is going out, like far too many independent bottlings right now, way too young. Highland Park really needs 12 years to begin to have that profile that we all like. Obviously the high abv, considering where it's aged, suggests there's some youthful stuff in this to say the least. All expressions have an age. NAS is when they don't want us to know what it is and pay more than we should. The price isn't too bad in the U.K, but the question is do I want to buy this instead of something else? For me there's always something I'd rather have. Cask strength whisky is only bought by whisky geeks so give us some detail on the box about the juice in the bottle. I'd like to know what's the ratio of the different cask types in this and what's the history of those casks. That goes for all producers but especially this. It's obvious Highland Park were scratching around wanting to deliver a cask strength whisky to keep the whisky geeks from complaining about their generally crap, overpriced, abv problem. I think the retail price is low because what's gone into it isn't great. It's hot and needs water. My favourite Highland Park for years (and the price was good) was the Twisted Tattoo which ticked all the right boxes. Why don't they just get on with making good stuff like that. Excellent review but I can't get the thought of some old style Klingon love out of my mind now. I'll hold that thought for some real out there stuff like the Kill Devil, cask strength, Hampden rums which, I'm not joking, are the 'Mother Ship.' Cheers. WT

[@WhiskyLock]

"All expressions have an age. NAS is when they don't want us to know what it is and pay more than we should." Love this. Pretty much what I thought when Ardbeg called their latest release a 'non aged expression' in their FAQ. Maybe we should bring back the trend of calling anything NAS a 3yo.

[@Gwhisky]

Totally agree. There's no reason not to call something a 5 year old, if it is one. We're grown ups, we can handle the information! I don't think this one is THAT young, mind you. It's more "hot" than "young," if that makes any sense. I don't feel like it's a poorly put-together whisky. It's a beast, but a fun one, which is more than I can say for a lot of the rough NAS undisclosed Islay releases that people can't seem to stop buying. But yes, well said. HP is guilty of a lot of low-effort releases, which is tragic. So much potential from them! Cheers WT!

[@jasoncoates1835]

HP has always maintained that they don't artificially color their whisky, but as you say, it's not on the label so we can either take them at their word or not. (But they probably don't.) ~$90 here in the US.

[@Gwhisky]

That's true, Edrington usually keeps the natural colour. $90 is a bit high for US prices, but still fair for what you're getting. Cheers!

[@raeraeraeth]

how can you drink it neat? at 60% doesn't it just vapourise on your tongue?

[@Gwhisky]

I don't drink it neat.

[@ricardodelorenzo3954]

Highland Park is always natural color. I wish they would bump the 12 up to 46%.

[@Gwhisky]

Agree! The 12 is good, just a bit weak!

[@LPKJFHIS]

Hahah the thumbnail

[@kellywellington7122]

Yep...I guess I'm a lightweight. This did not fulfill my purpose and I found 'the beast'...it was raw. I'll back up to the 12.

[@rax24519779]

竟然是台灣買的哈哈哈

[@aframs-cctaf-rams-cct6424]

Ha, I rated an 87. Good for when I want something strong and not refined

[@Gwhisky]

It's perfect for that! Not refined but pretty damn fun! 🥃

[@DileepB]

$88 in San Francisco

[@Gwhisky]

Worth it, imo. 🥃

[@steveno7058]

This one is HOT and AGGRESSIVE. Delicious but it needs to be tempered with water and time.

[@Gwhisky]

Well said! I didn't mention the time aspect, but it definitely benefits from several minutes in the glass. Cheers!