Highland Park 10 Year (SMWS 4.282 "A Bothy Amongst Mountain Heather")

 

The seventh of nine whiskies at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") June 2022 Outturn tasting at the Jack Rose Saloon on Sunday, June 5th. A 10 year Highland Park from, presumably, the same vatting project that almost all the SMWS Highland Parks have come from, this one was pretty popular at the event, at least by word of mouth.

Here are the official notes:

French toast with caramelised bananas greeted us before we detected a very gentle fragrant smoke in the background. Surprisingly smoky on the palate neat, but well balanced by the sweetness now coming from scones served with lavender honey. With water, we walked through blooming purple heather waving in the breeze, spying in the distance the bothy where we would stay overnight. As we arrived, tired after the long day, we took a rest sipping this dram with creamy lightly smoked goats’ cheese rolled in ash with quince jelly. In 2017 we combined selected hogsheads before returning the single malt to a variety of different casks to develop further. This is one of those casks.

This is all familiar territory, with the possible exception of the banana note. Bottled at 63.1%, let's dive in:

Nose: Yes, indeed - caramelized banana. That is spot on, even if it's fairly subtle. Frangrant, floral smoke - the usual soft heather scent you get in Highland Park. Sea notes - oceanic rock, sand, salt. Yellow plums and yellow apples. 

Mouthfeel: Oily, medium texture. 

Palate: Much smokier than you'd expect - way smokier than the 12 year versions from this vatting, those two extra years must really soften the blow, so to speak. This is a riot of smoke, paired with sea salt, minerality, and floral/herbal heather. 

Finish: Smoke, long long smoke, paired with oak and flowers. Nice, typical Highland Park house style 

Verdict: If you like Highland Park, you'll like this. The SMWS has really nailed the house style completely over the last two years - oceanic, floral, lightly smoky, nice fruit backbone underneath. Just lovely stuff. Easy to drink but full of interesting things. Recommended.