Highland Park 1955 Intertrade 30 year 53.2% v Best HP so far

[lincoln imp]

My favourite HP so far is the 1972 24 year 55.4% cask 1637 The Bottlers, It won out in a head to head with a 1959 dumpy, the first 30 year from 2006 and the 2007 40 year OB

1955 Intertrade Special Selection

Nose
I can only describe this as a really nice nose. Rich fudge, toffee, it is almost like some old cognac is in the mix?
Rum & raisin ice cream, rich biscuit, hints of shoe polish.

Taste
Immediately there is a blast of peat and massive spice kick that almost burns your throat.
There is also a very slight woody bitterness but there is also a little orange in the mix.
It gains a lovely sweetness on the 2nd sip with hints of honeycomb with various exotic fruits coming to the fore.
This actually tastes old.

Finish
long and quite sweet.

With Water:-
Nose
Even better than neat, very refined .
Palate
Just about perfect but it has lost a little fruit.
There is some fruit gums flavours mixing with the spice
Finish.
Not as long now, but very refined and remaining fruity until the end

A very refined old Highland Park


The Bottlers (note from June 2018)

Nose
This is similar to the 1967 DT John Scott's so we are off to a good start, like the 67 it is coastal but this one reminds me of early 70's Clynelish.

Peat and honey mixing together with lemon freshly sawn wood and hints of orange.
Taste
Wow, lovely everything is in harmony (sorry that is a bit gushing I know). peat, fruit and sherry are all tightly combined but it is so refined you would never know it is 55%.

There are a few Turkish delight notes but it is the orange notes that are growing by the second and now the peat is also, very faint hint of lemon and something slightly meaty.
Finish
Long, warming with the peat growing until the end, lovely orangy profile this one.

An outstanding HP

They are as good as each other on the nose but the palate on the TB wins out over the Intertrade bottle.
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Pour me a glass please.