Highland Park 25 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml) - Older Bottling

Note: Product has come from a private collection and as such has some minor scuffing/scratches/handling marks. 

A circa 2004 release with an unusual ABV of 50.7%. Most similar releases were bottled at around 40-43%.

Other reviews... this is the best bottling of HP25 I've ever come across; in this form eclipsing the astonishing 18. You have to work overtime to fault this. I suggest you grab a bottle and try. 96 points - Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2008

...Colour: plain, deep gold. Nose: double wow! This time it’s a little less fresh and clean, but much, much more complex. Flowers and fruits, for sure (see above) but also sea air, mocha, peppermint. Hints of eucalyptus and turpentine, freshly crushed hazelnuts, subtle sherry… The developments are simply endless. I’d better stop here or I’ll need bytes and bytes. Mouth: bold attack, even if much more austere than expected. Smoke, burnt cake, black toffee, coffee liqueur. The alcohol gets even a little burning. Very creamy, though. It really coats your mouth. Lots of crystallised orange, chestnut honey, lemon marmalade. Understatedly fruity (melon, ripe apricot). Hints of camphor. In short, this one is extremely nice, and far less ‘commercial’ than expected. The finish is very long, on orange syrup and honey. It comes in a nice black ‘pencil box’ but beware, don’t pass it to little children, as the brass shutter can pinch you quite severely. Well, that’s what happened to me, at least… 90 points - whiskyfun.com

Boasting 'the northernmost Scotch whisky Distillery in the World" in Kirkwall, Orkney, the Highland Park Distillery has an intriguing history of illicit distilling and smuggling. Known as Kirkwall distillery until 1876, the name 'Highland Park' derives from the hill where the distillery stands, 'High Park'. The location was thought to be chosen for its water source and as a lookout against approaching excisemen.

The distillery's glory days came in 1895-1897 when the Grant family came into control, replacing the two existing stills with larger ones, and installing a further two in 1897. The sudden growth was however, short lived as a result of the closure of Pattisons Blending Co (one of the major blending companies at the time) in 1898, becoming the catalyst for a massive slow down within the Scotch whisky industry that lasted for close to 50 years. It is over this time that Highland Park dedicated their focus to building whisky supplies, a move that would be rewarded In 1997 and 1998 with a succession of new releases that was set to become permanent members in the distillery portfolio. One of these was Highland Park 25 year - generally considered one of the all-time classics in the world of extra-aged Single Malt Scotch.