Highland Park 18 has a bit more depth in the smokiness when compared to the 12 year old. It also has very much character and for 18 year old whisky, it's surprisingly sharp, especially in the finish.

Finish: The finish repeated the palate very nicely, with a peppery, warming sensation gradually giving way to the light, fruit based, fresh feeling. Cinnamon and other spices linger in a medium to long, very smooth finish.

Whisky reviews for Highland Park 18-year-old

Shame on you, Highland Park, for selling such an uneven product! For shame! This bottle is not worth half of what I paid for it! The following indicators should be taken as only a guide and not a set of hard and fast rules. Some "premium" whiskeys really are quite terrible, while some mass market products are good enough to pour into a decanter and serve to the Duke of Edinburgh. A+: A masterpiece and one of the ten best whiskeys of its type. Above five stars. Highland Park routinely use Oloroso Sherry casks to mature their spirit but what gives their spirits it's unique profile is the peat that they use. Orcadian peat, sourced locally, is predominately compressed herbacious plants and heather (unlike peat from farther south, which is partially formed with tree matter and/or seaweed). The peat character is mild, however, as only 20% of the mashbill comes from Highland Park’s own floor maltings (and of that, only half is peated). The rest is unpeated malt imported from the Scottish mainland

I realize that it sometimes takes a bottle some time to "break in" as it were. The level is down about two inches on mine. Believe me, it's not improving. Palate: A pleasant medium mouth feel brought the salt and pepper notes forward without out the brine. The cinnamon also re-appeared to lighten the gathering on the tongue. A clean, fresher feeling then emerged, replacing the salt and pepper with a general fruit taste. Join the Whiskey Raiders Bottle of the Month Club, where you will receive hard-to-find bottles curated by Whiskey Raiders staff with a 90+ rating on whiskeyraiders.com plus live virtual tastings. Sign up here! Took it to the super bowl party tonight and shared with some of my buddies, and tonight HP18 was a different beast(in a good way). It didn't have any of the burnt rubbery taste, instead I got a pleasant peat smoke that I was expecting.Balance: There is a wonderful transition of aromas and flavours between nose, palate, and finish. Pepper, spice, and fruit sensations all transitioned frequently but effortlessly, creating a complete journey around the whisky tastes of Scotland.

So my point is - that "crappy" HP18 that I referenced is indeed changing literally in every respect - almost as a living being is coming alive. Now if the HP12 could hurry up and do likewise... No partnership, joint venture, agency, or employment relationship is created as a result of your use of the Service.

The palate was a bit of a surprise, because it’s nothing like as heavy as the look of it suggested. Instead, it’s a light, silky liquid. The sweetness here reminded me a lot of a kind of jam I used to get in Portugal that was based on berries and called “Forest Fruits,” with notes of cookie spice and malty cereals and honey. Whatever smoke was in the scent is gone here too. Finish: The drying effect is almost uncanny and quite famous amongst admirers. I have few words. Wonderful. The ABV seems a tad higher to me than the usual 43%, which is curious. Whisky from this bottle does better with a touch of water. I normally have never added water to HP 18 in the past.

The brand with 225 years of history distilled the scotch in 2002, and Master Whisky Maker Gordon Motion drew it from hand-chosen casks in 2021.

Finish: The flavors follow thru into the long well balanced end, tightly complimenting are the malty, oaky, smokey statements. The only explanation that I have for this phenomenom is the use of oak casks and the well known terminology of avoiding the situation of spending "too long in the wood". Actually, I should be thankful for finding this out in my own tatses, because 12 year olds are cheaper tahn 16 year olds. But as I said before, this is a very good whisky by itself. Just try the side by side test and you too may be surprised. Taste: Very rich in a creamy palate. Oranges, toffee and honey with lingering oak. The sharp but subtle smoke sneaks in and follows you in the finish as well. That's definitely my favorite part of Highland Park 18!