At this point, it’s become a house rule that there can never be an empty bottle of Johnnie Walker in the house. With that said, I took a ride to the liquor store to grab a bottle. With a few extra bucks in my pocket, I perused the whisky aisle for something of interest. There was definitely no shortage of single malts I wanted to try: Oban, Lagavulin, Talisker. But I didn’t want to buy a $70 bottle. Something in the $50 range would do.

I spotted this 12-year Highland Park. I love the look of the packaging, and remembered that it got good reviews online. In the basket it went.

I really like the packaging on this box. It reminds me of Springbank. Orange and black just go great together. It’s like Halloween.



The typography on the back is pretty nice too. It has somewhat of a modern feel to it, but kept in balance by the celtic knot-work on the front.



I like the bottle shape too. It’s pretty original for a Scottish Whisky. I can’t remember seeing another bottle with this shape. Bourbons, yes. Whiskies, no. And man, is this glass thick!





Mmmmmm. This is a good tasting whisky. It’s like Springbank, bit it doesn’t punch you in the face. It has a very sweet, heather-honey smell. Very citrusy with a touch of green apples. It’s not very smokey, but (as my wife puts it) has “that whisky smell”.

On the palate, it’s just good whisky. High-quality stuff. Not over-powering. At 43%, you’d think it would have a little kick, bit it’s very smooth, but thick. It’s a little dry on the finish, but I like that. I wasn’t sure if it was hitting me right so I Googled it. As it turns out, that’s a signature character of Highland Park. I like it. It’s different. It’s a sweet, but dry. It’s like nothing I’ve tried before it. Again, the closest I’ve come is Springbank’s 10 year, but this is soooo much better.

I’ll definitely be trying the 15-year when the time comes.