Highland Park 40 Year Old

[William]

Those of you who are subscribed to the Highland Park newsletter will already know about this but for those who arent i thought i would menton it.

This month HP have released a Highland Park 40 year old. It is not a "here today, gone tomorrow"? single cask which they have uncovered in the warehouse, the new Highland Park 40 year old is a permanent addition to the HP range.

Here is what Highland Park have to say about it:

Highland Park 40 year old has been largely matured in refill casks, that is to say casks that have previously been used to mature whisky. If first fill casks had been used, the sweetness would have been too strident. The long-term nature of the maturation of Highland Park 40 year old allows time for the perfect balance to be achieved.

The colour, as with all bottlings of Highland Park, is entirely natural; the delicate paleness of the whisky is down to the judicious use of refill casks.

The strength is relatively high at 48.3% to deliver maximum flavour.

The initial reaction from the global whisky community has been extremely positive. In this month's Whisky Magazine our 40 year old is the Editors Choice and Dave Broom describes it as "A stunningly great whisky. One of the finest I've had for a considerable time"

Highland Park 40 year old is available at a recommended retail price of £899.

Highland Parks Tasting Notes:

Colour: Rich hues of russet and copper
Nose: Spicy and aromatic with a background of rich dark fruits, Nutmeg, cinnamon, lemon zest and darkest chocolate. The use of refill casks, allows, Highland Park's trademark smoke to be retained, even after 40 years in wood
Palate: Beautiful balance of sweet toffee notes, dark chocolate, black cherries, honey, sun dried orange zest and aromatic heather peat smokiness
Finish: Rich, long, elegant, smoky and surprisingly sweet. Lingers forever

I would imagine it should be available in the top online whisky shops in the near future.

William

[Mal]

I would love to try it as i am a fan of Highland Park but it is way more than i would spend on one bottle.

Mal

[Big Mac]

At £899 it is still a lot cheaper than the Highland Park 1958 40 year old The Whisky Exchange has at the moment for only £1500, but i suppose the 1958 bottle is a rare limited edition never to be seen again whereas the new 40 year old is always going to be available.

Mac

[Alastair]

Mac it is amazing the difference in price you can find when you shop around. I just searched for the Highland Park 1958 40 year old you mention using the shopping search on here and got 2 very different prices The Whisky Exchange wants £1500 for it but The Drink Shop only wants £1245 for it. These prices are out of my league unfortunately but it shows you it pays to shop around.

You can see them here:
The Drink Shop
http://www.scotchmaltwhisky.co.uk/shop/product/2/318/Highland-Park-1958-40-Year.htm

The Whisky Exchange
http://www.scotchmaltwhisky.co.uk/shop/product/3/1266/Highland-Park-1958-40-Year.htm

I dont see the new 40 year old available yet, it willl be interesting to see what the big whisky shops are selling it for, if it is close to HPs recommended price.

Alastair

[Sarge]

Alastair, that sort of price is out of my league for a single bottle also but it would be nice to get a taste of it. I love the Highland Park 18 and have had the 25 year old once but i think i my numbers will have to come up in the lottery before i could spend that sort of money on the 40.

Sarge

[Mal]

That is quite a difference in price Alastair, £255. I usually assume the drink shop is slightly more expensive, just shows it is always worth checking both shops.

Mal