That’s right 30 year old scotch, moving up in the world.

This was a gift from my parents on their last visit, thanks dad and mom.

In a previous blog I had mentioned how Lagavulin 16 reminded me of fond childhood memories.  Highland Park 30 had a similar effect.  I poured myself a healthy glass, about 1-1.5 inches, brought it up to my nose a took a deep breath.  The first thing I smelled was exactly the smell of a new vinyl LP, some of you may remember these devices used for recording music in ancient times.  That was a wonderful surprise.  I also noticed turpentine or nail polish remover, probably similar to the vinyl smell.  The taste was somewhat complex with many flavors from different flavor categories.  What I noticed right away was a unique combination of smoky and sweet.  The sweetness was more in the after taste and not subtle, it was like white granulated sugar.  There are hints of wood and tobacco in the smokiness but it’s not as strong as an Islay scotch.  There is a little bitterness, a rubber flavor in the after taste.  Ice makes the sweetness more pronounced.  All in all I really like this, not just because I didn’t pay for it.  It is a really good scotch and a great experience every time I drink it.

copyright 2014