I was so pleased with my last whisky purchase, that when the time came, I picked up another bottle of Highland Park 12-year. My wife took a liking to it too, so the 2nd bottle didn’t last very long.

When I hit up the liquor store for another whisky purchase, a bottle of Highland Park seemed like a no-brainer. However, I had my eye out for the 15-year. They didn’t have it, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that they did have the new Dark Origins. I was hesitant at first in dropping $90 bucks on a single bottle, but hey, you only live once!

I sprung for it. It’s been getting some really nice reviews online. Not to mention, for $90 bucks, it must be some pretty good stuff!

I just love Highland Park’s packaging.





There’s just something about that bottle that looks so cool. It’s got a really nice black matte finish. The only downside is that the last glass is going to sneak up on me.





Dark Origins is bottled at a pretty strong 46.8%. It uses double the amount of sherry casks, resulting in a darker color and a richer flavor.

The tasting notes on the website say:

Nose: Sherried spice and ripe bananas combine with toasted hazelnuts and baked apple
Palate: Well-balanced, dry peat at first mellowing out to maraschino cherries, warm dark chocolate entices the palate
Finish: Enduring sweet smoke

Sounds awesome. Let’s pour a glass.

Highland Park 12-year on the left, Dark Origins on the right. You can definitely see how much darker it is.



It definitely has more spices, coffee, and chocolate. I don’t taste the bananas like I do on the 12-year, but it’s so good despite being very strong. I think with a whisky like this, you have to sit back and relax and let it open up a bit.