Highland Park Tasting - 15 Feb 2008

[Matt2]

Welcome to the Highland Park Live Forum Tasting.

The Whiskies

• Highland Park 12 Years Old
• Highland Park 15 Years Old
• Highland Park 16 Years Old
• Highland Park 18 Years Old
• Highland Park 21 Years Old
• Highland Park 25 Years Old
• Highland Park 30 Years Old
• + limited editions and ind. bottlings

Date and Time

• Friday 15th February 6:00pm GMT

Special guest
Sorry, couldn't get anyone in time, but working on future guests...

For those of you who do not know what these are about they run for generally 12+ hours and we all sit down (at various times) to taste a range of whiskies and share our notes and comments on the forum.

They are a great way to meet people on the forum, chat about your experiences and learn something new about the whiskies you have, and we all end up having a good time.

You can follow the tastings on this page or click this link to open our live tastings page.

Please feel free to join in and post any comments or tasting notes you have.

Handy Links

• Highland Park Tastings from Whisky Magazine
• Tasting Notes BBCode to format your notes
• Highland Park web site
• Live tastings page

Start time - 6:00pm GMT

[Sherried Malt]

Matt, how will this work? Are there specific start times for each bottling or will we go thru the entire range in each session?

[Di Blasi]

Excellent reminder Matt, thanks!!! Looking forward to it!

[les taylor]

I received my sample in this mornings post. Matt thanks very much.

[Matt2]

I think just see how it goes, starting with the 12 seems like an idea...

[Ganga]

Matt, how will this work? Are there specific start times for each bottling or will we go thru the entire range in each session?

Generally speaking, the group on-line will start with the youngest OB within the group and proceed forward. At some point people will start bringing in IB bottlings or single casks from HP. This will start over from time to time as different groups come on-line.

Generally, look for the Euro group to get going about 7 PM GMT and continue for several hours. As the day progresses, the Euro folk drop off and the North Americans start joining in. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 2 AM GMT you will see Mikey and I show up and we will carry it forward for another 3 or 4 hours.

[mikeymad]

Looks like it is kicking off around 6:00pm GMT....

getting close already...

Cheers,

[Di Blasi]

Matt, how will this work? Are there specific start times for each bottling or will we go thru the entire range in each session?

Generally speaking, the group on-line will start with the youngest OB within the group and proceed forward. At some point people will start bringing in IB bottlings or single casks from HP. This will start over from time to time as different groups come on-line.

Generally, look for the Euro group to get going about 7 PM GMT and continue for several hours. As the day progresses, the Euro folk drop off and the North Americans start joining in. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 2 AM GMT you will see Mikey and I show up and we will carry it forward for another 3 or 4 hours.

Damn, nice to hear you and Mikey get an early start, 4pm? Sounds like you 2 are working a Norwegian working day, 8-4, (with a 30 minute lunch too?) Good going, see you 2 around later then maybe!

[mikeymad]

Damn, nice to hear you and Mikey get an early start, 4pm? Sounds like you 2 are working a Norwegian working day, 8-4, (with a 30 minute lunch too?) Good going, see you 2 around later then maybe!

I have to admit that my standard workday is 7.5 hours. It is nice.....

Cheers,

[Di Blasi]

Damn, nice to hear you and Mikey get an early start, 4pm? Sounds like you 2 are working a Norwegian working day, 8-4, (with a 30 minute lunch too?) Good going, see you 2 around later then maybe!

I have to admit that my standard workday is 7.5 hours. It is nice.....

Cheers,

Something to brag about Mikey, especially in the Bay Area where standard days are I guess about 12 hours, minus the terrific commute to and from! Smart going.

[Di Blasi]

Go!

[Sherried Malt]

Wait, wait, wait! I'm drinking a Diet Coke. It's 1 pm here...

[Matt2]

Got a few things to finish and a dead animal to put in the oven. Then I will be joining you with a HP 12.

[Spirit of Islay]

Just poured a 13yo Glenmo when i noticed this was tonight , have dug out my 5 HP's for afterwards , they are ....
HP 2000 12yo CS (O.B.)
15yo O.B. (Original Sainsbury one)
18yo O.B. (from a while ago , Odd shaped bottle with 1999 Spirits Comp sticker on it ) .
Hart Brothers 1978 18yo .
Orkney Special Reserve 25yo (MWBH Bottling) .

[Ganga]

Well for me it will be closer to 5:30 pm local time. I did line up a couple whiskies last night to save time getting going when I get home.

[Ganga]

Nice lineup SOI. I'm looking forward to your notes on these.

[Di Blasi]

Nice linup Gordon! I'm reaching for my standard Highland Park 12y now...

[Sherried Malt]

I'm breaking out my 3x33cl HP gift pack today. May have to slide a Bicentenary in there too...

[mikeymad]

I wish the 'who's on-line' worked a lot better. It would be nice to have a roll call during the day.

[Di Blasi]

Very fresh, lots going on here in the nose. First, a little grapey, a little faint hint of malt too.

[Spirit of Islay]

Deleted....

[mikeymad]

oops well that is not working yet.

[Spirit of Islay]

Why doesn't the tasting notes option work ?
just tried to enter one and only the code appears !!!!!!

[Spirit of Islay]

Can't be bothered to write it all out again but the HP2000 is ok , very Christmas Cake.......

[mikeymad]

Score=Never do

So how am I ever suppose to know if I like it.... ????

Oh yeah , read the rest of the notes...

Thanks for the notes while they were there.

[Willie JJ]

Gordon you have to submit the note and then the post. After you have submitted the note it appears as code in the post window. You can preview it at that point but it should put the note up properly when you submit the post.

[Spirit of Islay]

Mike , i've never scored a whisky , i define them by the following .......
I like it or i don't like it !
Too much of a fanny on........

[Spirit of Islay]

thats the way i done it Willy !
Still came up as Code ......

[mikeymad]

I like it or i don't like it !

I agree. I kind like a re-buy or not to re-buy.

But ganga and I have been scoring for so many years, it wont stop soon.

Cheers,

[Di Blasi]

And now here comes that wonderful sweetness on the nose, like molasses.

[Spirit of Islay]

Tried again with the 15yo , just code no notes !

So much easier just discussing malts on a real time chat......

[Willie JJ]

I can't believe it! I have a visitor. Well just time to post this one hasty tasty note and then maybe I'll be back later. Have fun gang.

Highland Park 12
Brand : Highland Park Expression : 12
Nose : Grapey. Stewed apples. Ever so slight hint of spent matches. Little bit of grist. Palate : Buttered wood. Rich malt. Mead? Finish : Long. Sizzles on the tongue. Comment : I always forget how good this stuff is because I rarely drink it. Might have to fix that. Colour : Grubby gold Score : 88
Age : 12 Years Old Vintage : 0 ABV : 0% Bottler : OB	Type : Single Malt Region : Island (non Islay) Water : no Ice : No, No, No Glass : Glencairn Notes : -
More tasting notes by None Please do not reproduce or copy this tasting note without permission.

[Willie JJ]

I haven't a clue what's happening to your's Gordon. Its really annoying when these things don't work for you 'cause they take a while to fill in.

[mikeymad]

I guess that we have to go back to the archaic:

nose -
palate -
finish -

What is the world coming to?

[Deactivated Member]

Alas I have no HP in the house, only the brown stuff that you put on sausages.

I'll read along for a wee while anyway...