Highland Park 12 questions

[Rob B]

I know that I have had a break from dramming due to Lent, and this may have affected my perception of the whiskies I am drinking, but I have found that the newly opened bottle of HP12 is not a patch on the one I finished a short while ago.

The current bottle seems to be have lost the sherry notes that I could smell/taste in the first bottle (I have had a good sniff at the empty bottle to confirm - there were still a couple of drips languishing in the bottom). The peat and heather are still there, but the missing sherry notes have moved my appreciation of this whisky from "delighted with" to "its OK".

Please tell me that I am not going mad to think the two bottles are different.

The label code on the bottle I enjoyed is L1065G L11 14:12 09:35 and on the other bottle L0873H L11 28:10 08:13 - can anything be deduced from this information? I can guess at the date and time info, but as for the rest I have no clue.

Rob

[The Third Dram]

Many (myself included) have noted such flavour shifts in the various releases of Highland Park 12YO, with the relative balance between the Sherry, peat, salt and heather notes changing from time to time. So you're almost certainly NOT imagining what your taste buds seem to be telling you!

That said, give the whisky another go when a little more has been taken off the top.

[Novice Scotch Fan]

I'm drinking HP 12 tonight by coincidence and I am picking up plenty of the sherry notes I recall in the past. For what its worth, sometimes my palate is thrown off if I was eating something prior to having a dram or if I eat while having a drink.

[evanstonwhisky]

I got a HP 12 one month ago - mine is good, kind of heavy on the black peat. I try to appreciate that though, as northern harshness. There is sherry, but is turns a tiny bit rubbery - i think they may not be using the highest grade sherry casks at HP, since they need to many.

It drinkable, but somehow it really has a much darker body than expected.

I like it though - I get the "heather" behind the sherry, with underneath it all this dark, volcanic smoke. Huge range of flavours.

[borgom]

As others have stated RobB it's probably not your imagination. Batch variations can be quite striking, sometimes shifting a favourite to middle of the road whisky. Probably best to try and get another bottle from the same batch if you find a particular bottle to be to your liking.
I've found these variations to be particularly prevalent in peated whiskies.

[Rob B]

Thanks for your replies guys. I did think that a "standard" whisky from a distillery would have had a more consistent nose/taste profile and not present differently between batches. You live and learn I guess.

Borgom, I like your idea of getting another bottle from the same batch. I think the bottle I liked came from TWE, but I bought it a year ago, so the chances of them having more in stock is slim. I will ask them; you never know.

Rob