Highland Park 40 Year Old

[sievm]

Hi Folks,

Just got the latest HP newsletter:

"This month sees the release of Highland Park 40 year old. It is not a "here today, gone tomorrow" single cask we have uncovered in the warehouse - Highland Park 40 year old is a permanent addition to the range.

Highland Park 40 year old has been largely matured in refill casks, that is to say casks that have previously been used to mature whisky. If first fill casks had been used, the sweetness would have been too strident. The long-term nature of the maturation of Highland Park 40 year old allows time for the perfect balance to be achieved.

The colour, as with all bottlings of Highland Park, is entirely natural; the delicate paleness of the whisky is down to the judicious use of refill casks.

The strength is relatively high at 48.3% to deliver maximum flavour.

The initial reaction from the global whisky community has been extremely positive. In this month's Whisky Magazine our 40 year old is the Editors Choice and Dave Broom describes it as "A stunningly great whisky. One of the finest I've had for a considerable time"

Highland Park 40 year old is available at a recommended retail price of £899."

At £899 it is 5 times the cost of the 30 and 15 times the cost of the 18 which seems steep to me.

So, my question would be - who will be drinking this?

[Ganga]

Hoover, Dyson? Where are you?

There will be people buying this but I doubt it will just fly off the shelves. I'd suggest that it will be more collectors than the quaffers.

[Sherried Malt]

I will.

If I win the lottery!

[Sherried Malt]

Highland Park 40 year old has been largely matured in refill casks, that is to say casks that have previously been used to mature whisky. If first fill casks had been used, the sweetness would have been too strident.

In a bit of a cosmic coincidence, I've been meaning to post a question on the difference between using first fill and refill sherry casks...

Thanks, HP.

[sievm]

Can't see many collectors getting excited about it if it is a general release - with a limited edition price tag.

[Ganga]

I agree CI. It seems to be right in line with what is being charged for Bruichladdich 40. I think Laphroaig 40 sells for something a little less. Glenfarclas 40 is more than double. As I recall the new Dalmore 40 will be a little bit higher.

[adogranonthepitch]

I have had the pleasure of tasting the 40yo HP. Very nice but very woody. Ni`ce but not GBP900.

[Ganga]

So much for the Hoover.

[Deactivated Member]

Ni`ce but not GBP900.

To be honest, I couldn't really imagine spending £900 on a whisky to drink. I still find it vaguely obscene that I opened a bottle of Talisker 25. Delicious though the greatest whiskies are, I simply can't value a mere bottle of whisky above a return flight to Australia.

[Deactivated Member]

Of course I could value a closed bottle of whisky at £900 or more - I value my Laphroaig 1960 at more than that. But if I were offered a choice of a return flight to Oz or an open bottle of whisky, I would go for the flight. And if Oz holds no appeal, it could be a flight to anywhere. Or if travel doesn't float your boat, then there's plenty else to do with £900. I couldn't imagine ever finding it easy to spend that much (or lose that potential income) in return for 70cl of a drink.

[Knolly]

Of course I could value a closed bottle of whisky at £900 or more - I value my Laphroaig 1960 at more than that. But if I were offered a choice of a return flight to Oz or an open bottle of whisky, I would go for the flight. And if Oz holds no appeal, it could be a flight to anywhere. Or if travel doesn't float your boat, then there's plenty else to do with £900. I couldn't imagine ever finding it easy to spend that much (or lose that potential income) in return for 70cl of a drink.

Ya, but there are people with money to spend and they will spend it! I mean, Porsche, Lamborghini and Ferrari all exist and no one needs to spend that kind of money on a car. But, people do. They buy them because of their interest in these vehicles and their performance (hopefully) and also as status symbols. HP40 is a fraction of the cost of the cheapest Boxster.

Hell, Louis Vuitton sells basic wallets for $250 and shoulder bags for $1000-2000 (not to mention that they also indirectly sell Ardbeg Double Barrel); I'm sure the buyers are out there! Some might be serious whisky drinkers; probably a large percentage will be the same people that buy JW Blue King George.

[Deactivated Member]

Ni`ce but not GBP900.

To be honest, I couldn't really imagine spending £900 on a whisky to drink. I still find it vaguely obscene that I opened a bottle of Talisker 25. Delicious though the greatest whiskies are, I simply can't value a mere bottle of whisky above a return flight to Australia.

We'd pay double to get you a one-way, Nick!

The price, as compared to the 18 and 30, doesn't surprise me at all; all things being equal, one would expect it to rise exponentially as the years add up, graphing parabolically rather than lineally. As I have said many times, whether a bottle is worth £900 to you depends as much on what you think of £900 as what you think of the whisky. There are people out there who wouldn't bat an eyelash at spending £900 on a prestige purchase, and HP figures there are about as many of them as there will be bottles for sale. The thing that gets my eyelashes batty is the notion that this will be a "permanent" expression--quite aside from the fact that there is, of course, no such thing, it leads me to infer that there is sufficient stock in the pipeline to guarantee the vatting of new batches into the indefinite future. There must be quite a lot (relatively speaking) of 40yo and near-40yo whisky in the warehouse. Could this possibly have been great foresight, or just happenstance? I find it hard to make a compelling case for either.

[Deactivated Member]

Of course there are people who have money and will spend it. On The Apprentice, the contestants found people willing to pay £3000 or thereabouts to hire a car for a day. It was a nice car but - like the £900 whisky - out of my league.

As for making the 40yo - I guess people don't set out on day 1 to make 40yo whisky. But some casks might be marked as special and left to mature on. Perhaps there were some 33 or 34 yo casks stored to go into the 30yo, and perhaps HP wondered whether they might be left to get to 40 (it's rare to see 38yo whisky!). At £900 a bottle, you probably don't need much stock to keep up a steady supply of 40yo.

[Matt2]

Well I can tell you it is very nice, big rich flavours and the wood isn't dominating it. All sorts going on from chocolate to oranges. Sorry not much of a tasting note but I was enjoying it too much to make any

[Deactivated Member]

In truth its probably no better that the 30 yo - which was OK but not a good as the 25 yo which is questionably better than the 18yo.
Waste of money if you ask me. I forget the name of the syndrome - a trick the marketing boys love to play on the gullible or collectors- the more expensive it is the better it must be!

[les taylor]

Criefy I refer to it as the Emporer's new clothes syndrome.

[kallaskander]

Hi there,

an ongoing release?

40 years back takes us to 1968. After the slump of the end of the 1950s and into the 1960s the boom of the beginning 1970s used up almost everything that was distilled from 1960 onward. From the mid 1960s to about 1971 the sale of blended whisky worldwide trippled. That is the reason so little malt from the begining 1960s is left. It all went into blends.

Producers enlarged their stocks with the beginning boom which as we know led to the overproduction and the cisis of the early 1980s when the next slump came.

So yes, there could well be larger stocks of 1967 and 1968 Highland Park. They represent the stocks that made the 30 year olds in 1997 and the following years as well as the 25 year old expression since then of course. And the stocks laid down in 1969, 1970 etc. will guarantee that there can be more HP 40.

As you can only sell so much 25 and 30 year old HP, the rest of yours casks get older. The beginning boom was evident 6-7 years ago so the risk of letting these cask mature further was low.
And it was becoming clear by that time that there would be a high end market for such an old expression.

"This month sees the release of Highland Park 40 year old. It is not a "here today, gone tomorrow" single cask we have uncovered in the warehouse - Highland Park 40 year old is a permanent addition to the range."

Greetings
kallaskander

[Sherried Malt]

Very nice post, kallaskander!

[Sherried Malt]

Perhaps there were some 33 or 34 yo casks stored to go into the 30yo, and perhaps HP wondered whether they might be left to get to 40 (it's rare to see 38yo whisky!). At £900 a bottle, you probably don't need much stock to keep up a steady supply of 40yo.

I think you're right, Nick. HP has been selling single casks to Binny's and others for years but I heard from Binny's that HP has discontinued their single cask program. I'm sure their decision to produce a 40yo had something to do with it.

[kallaskander]

Hi there,

many reasons. Prices for 40 year old malts among them.



MALT MANIACS NEWSFLASH by Olivier
THE NEW HIGHLAND PARK 40 YO

Highland Park distillery has been releasing recently a number of excellent single casks and a wonderful 21yo.
Shortage of single malts produced in the period 1995/1996 also means that the regular 12yo contains a higher proportion of older malts, going back to some 27yo casks. No whisky from this distillery contains anymore caramel for colour adjustment, which means that the colour consistency is achieved with older/sherry casks in higher proportions.

Highland Park is also about to release in April a 40yo at 48.3% as a regular non numbered bottling. Retail price should be around £899.

TASTING NOTES:
Highland Park 40yo (48.3%, OB, 2008) The colour is gold amber, not tired at all. Highland Park 40
The nose exhibits intense fruity aromas, underlined with the typical heathery/peat character that makes this distillery so distinctive. Light creosote, liquorice, apples, pears flavours, heather, honey, raisins and sherry notes all fight together to reveal some stunning character. The palate is more peaty than the 25yo or 30yo official release. It feels almost medicinal/organic and definitely maritime, very long and powerful (amazing strength for a 40yo!). The sherry influence is great. Some light sulphurs bring some gunflint flavours. Of course there is also some oak on the finish, but it feels nicely integrated. I would call this whisky a masterpiece and can only salute the work of the team at Highland Park that crafted this bottling. Perhaps there are a couple of 'emotional' points included in my 96pts rating, but there is nothing I would add or take away from this whisky.- Olivier Humbrecht

http://www.whiskyfun.com/archiveapril08-2.html#180408

Greetings
kallaskander

[Sherried Malt]

Now that's what I call a rave review! Still can't pony up the freight to try it tho...

Now if I can get a couple of co-conspirators (ok, a few...) then maybe there's light at the end of that tunnel...

[TheTross]

If anyone's interested in picking up a bottle, LFW have just added it to their catalogue and have priced it at a very modest £690.

[Sherried Malt]

So Tross, how many are you going to get??

[Deactivated Member]

Really, Mr Picky!!

lineally

Nowt wrong wid dat.

I was going to type "linearly", but it felt awkward. "Lineal" is usually used to refer to matters of generational descent, but according to dictionary.com, one of the accepted definitions is "linear".

In the interest of clarity, edit to read "all linear-like".

[lincoln imp]

I have had the pleasure of tasting the 40yo HP. Very nice but very woody. Ni`ce but not GBP900.

Dog in your opinion how does the 40yr compare to the 30yr for taste etc.I love the 30. The 40 is 4 x the price does it taste 4 times as good i wonder.
cHEERS
LI

[Deactivated Member]

Of course not--if it tasted twice as good, it would cost ten times as much. See parabolic vs all linear-like above.

I agrre with Crieftan that the 25 is better than the 30 (although that is based on only one dram of the latter). The 40? Doubt I'll ever know. Won't lose any sleep over it.

[lincoln imp]

Of course not--if it tasted twice as good, it would cost ten times as much. See parabolic vs all linear-like above.

I agrre with Crieftan that the 25 is better than the 30 (although that is based on only one dram of the latter). The 40? Doubt I'll ever know. Won't lose any sleep over it.

No Mr TH believe me the 30 is superior to the any of the 25 yr, even the 50.7%, mind the 25yr is still very good compared to other whisky.

[Deactivated Member]

Sorry, imp, I won't take your word for it. The dram I had of the 30 was woody and dry. If you want to change my mind, you'll have to send me a bottle.

[Sherried Malt]

Pah!!
As you know LI, I place the 53.5 at the top of the 25 yos !

Right you are, Nick. The 53.5% is the best 25yo.

But only if you can't get the 50.7% or the 48.1 or the 51.5% or ...

[lincoln imp]

Of course not--if it tasted twice as good, it would cost ten times as much. See parabolic vs all linear-like above.

I agrre with Crieftan that the 25 is better than the 30 (although that is based on only one dram of the latter). The 40? Doubt I'll ever know. Won't lose any sleep over it.

No Mr TH believe me the 30 is superior to the any of the 25 yr, even the 50.7%, mind the 25yr is still very good compared to other whisky.

Pah!!
As you know LI, I place the 53.5 at the top of the 25 yos !

Nick, you know your trouble?
You are just too sentimental
I suppose its like your first true love

[Deactivated Member]

I'd say the 50.7 25yo is the best of the HP OBs that I have had recently. It has a smokiness that adds an extra depth and complexity. It also has a procession of flavours rather than everything arriving on the palate at once.

The 30yo is smooth, chocolatey, has tons of heather honey, and is a very, very good example of that type of whisky. It lacks the smokiness of the 25 and some of the fruitiness of younger expressions.

The 25yo wasn't quite as smooth and sweet as the 30yo and I can see that for some, that would be a failing.

It all boils down to personal preference, though, and what people want to see in their whiskies.

[Deactivated Member]

This is what mine looks like:

[lincoln imp]

I'd say the 50.7 25yo is the best of the HP OBs that I have had recently. It has a smokiness that adds an extra depth and complexity. It also has a procession of flavours rather than everything arriving on the palate at once.

The 30yo is smooth, chocolatey, has tons of heather honey, and is a very, very good example of that type of whisky. It lacks the smokiness of the 25 and some of the fruitiness of younger expressions.

The 25yo wasn't quite as smooth and sweet as the 30yo and I can see that for some, that would be a failing.

It all boils down to personal preference, though, and what people want to see in their whiskies.

Nick
That makes perfect sense to me
I was just telling myself i had a more refined palate than other people.

[I_SPEY]

Users browsing this forum: I_SPEY, Nick Brown and 0 guests

I've never been so close with you, Nick

[Deactivated Member]

believe me the 30 is superior to the any of the 25 yr, even the 50.7%,

Not in my opinion. I tasted the 30 at its launch at WL. It was good but compared to the rest of the range it got a strangely muted response from most who attended the masterclass. Perhaps we were expecting something extraordinary and got something ordinary. A bit if a let down. I've tasted it since then and it just doesn't hit the mark that the 25 does. Its been in the cask too long. 18 - 25 is probably when HP is at its best. Some whiskies age longer some don't but for that reason I won't buy a bottle of 30 and with that in mind, I certainly won't buy a bottle of 40. Will I taste it? Of course - if I get a chance! But it will need to be very very good to beat the 25 50.7.