Highland Park 33, 1977-2010, The Perfect Dram, Ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 193 bottles, 52.3% abv.

Nose: sharp and citrusy, sour fruit initially, grapevine, wood, a little earthy, sweet, citrus rinds, however at a distance I get a light bouquet of fruits, hint of smoke from burning fresh young wood.

Palate: super sweet, honey soaked wood for 15 years, initial and mid palate is a body of raw honey, melted caramelized caramel, maple sugar, baked watermelon, back palate is also full of honey-like sweetness, there is something peat-like and a weak smoke at the end too, this subtlety causes a slightly misguided interpretation at the end I think.

Finish: spices and herbs initially, then honey and syrup, finally finishing off with a hint of coal smoke and maybe some boiled peanuts.

Wow this is not only amazing, but it is one of the sweetest drams I have ever had! Alot of stuff is going on on the nose and at the first sip, but afterwards it is total sugar, honey, and maple syrup. Moreover, at the end there is a smoke element that gets stronger with each sip. Although it sounds like this IB HP is a little one-dimensional, I feel there is a good amount of complexity and balance just because I can't really understand (or maybe accept?) how this juice can straddle a variety of sweetnesses without being completely overboard in delivery. This is really a tripartite borderline between sugar water, fruit juice, and well bodied scotch.

Grade: A

Whiskyfun.com, Serge Valentin, sgp:561, 91 points
Lawhiskeysociety, B on 5 reviews

Image courtesy of Eric Yee.

Eric Yee

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