Highland Park 10

Picture: Highland Park

Highland Park presented an absolute beginner's single malt, exclusively for Dutch and German markets in April 2013. Young, lower in alcohol and significantly smaller. Highland Park 10 is only sold in a 35cl version. Quite handy for people with a small drinks cabinet or a limited budget.

By now the Highland Park 10 is a worldwide entry-level expression nicknamed Viking Scars.

Identity Card Highland Park 10

• Official bottling from Highland Park Distillery (Orkney)
• 10-year-old single malt Scotch whisky
• Alcohol: 40 % ABV
• Size: 35 cl
• exclusive to The Netherlands and Germany

Small but brave Viking

Tasting notes

Colour: Highland Park does not colour its whiskies. Light yellow and slightly oily. It leaves thin, slow legs on the glass.

Nose: The nose is fresh and fruity. Ripe fruits, roses, heather and vanilla. Soft fruity notes of syrupy pineapples, oranges and peaches. There's also some sugar water and fresh mint roaming around.
Water makes it a little more bitter. Whiffs of honey, condensed milk and liquorice. Homemade lemonade. This is a dram that only begins to get interesting after fifteen minutes in the glass.

Taste: The first impressions on the palate are bittersweet. Pineapple with its peel, light smoke and toasted oak. It evolves towards salted caramel and candle wax.
Water gives it more citrus notes. Beware: one drop of water suffices!

Finish: The finish is short and dry. Bitter walnuts, coarse sea salt, rosemary and pink pepper.

Conclusion

Once again Highland Park delivers a very decent quality product. There's no need for superlatives. Sometimes being plain good and affordable is sufficient. No need to say more.

This 35cl version was sold exclusively in The Netherlands and Germany. I've already seen it appear in some Belgian supermarkets. The price oscillates between €20 and € 25. The price difference between the 10 and the 12-year-old should be a bit bigger if you ask me. By which I'm not suggesting a price increase of the latter one.