Highland Park Ice Edition – Whisky Review
With a limited release of only 30,000 bottles Highland Park’s newest release has taken a different route with this 17 year old, by selecting whisky from their vast stocks which has only been matured in 100% ex bourbon casks, a very different approach for this famous Oloroso Sherry loving spirit.
Following suit from their Valhalla Collection, ICE is also presented in extravagant packaging embracing their strong links to Nordic routes. Blue tinted with angular cuts there is no mistaking the name and brand. Marketing says…
“In blue tinted bespoke glass reflecting dazzling and glittering ice, the bottle shape has been designed to evoke the distinctive sharpness and coolness of the mythical and magical Ice Realm.”
This 17 year old is positioned almost at the VERY top end of this market, commanding a whopping £190 a bottle. But as I’m writing this now I can see a bottle sold just yesterday for £400 on Scotch Whisky Auctions – see here. Looks like this bottle is now sold out, so it’s now a nice wee investment too.
But under the wooden cradle and glacier bottle what’s this cask strength (53.9% abv) Whisky all about? Tasting now:
Nose: Cloves, sugary vanilla, sangria spice, baked lemon skins, soft ginger and a touch of damp bark.
Taste: Sweet cigar smoke, crystallised ginger, cocktail of pineapples and peaches. Robust full flavours, mouth coating with vanilla smothering or maybe complementing all fruits and spice.
Finish: VERY long lasting, the sweet cigar smoke and ginger spice lingering all the way to the end.
Packing a huge punch, this was a very agreeable dram for both myself and Jim. Would make an excellent summer dram in the garden after a BBQ or with an after dinner cigar.
A different Highland Park to what we would be used to but it worked.
