Highland Park 40 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml) - Circa 2008 Bottling

Note: Product has come from a private collection and as such has some minor scuffing/scratches/handling marks, including, but not limited to, a loose paper neck collar, the embossed logo on the bottle has started to lift from the glass and there is a small chip to the wooden case on the upper left corner. Actual product pictured.

Other reviews... It’s the first time that we write our own proper (so to speak) tasting notes for the recent 40yo; it was about time. Colour: amber. Nose: it’s rather amazing that quite the same resinous and mentholated notes as in the 1959 do show up here. It’s really all on old armoire that hasn’t been opened since… well, WWII and fir tree honey and camphor. It gets then rather fruitier, on dried pears and bananas, and finally very maritime and smoky like a very old Islayer. The secondary notes are gunflints, struck matches, crystallised quinces and heather (trademark). Superb. Mouth: it’s having a bit of a hard time after the 1959 I must say, being rather drier and more vegetal, but it does unfold after a little time. More dry sherry than on the nose, more resinous and ‘green’ notes (chlorophyll again) but also superb notes of sultanas, blood oranges (a fruitiness that’s well here, only a little slow to show up) and fresh almonds. The oak is very present. Finish: very long and more ‘oriental’, with touches of orange blossom water and something slightly Campari-esque. Comments: maybe this beautiful 40 is no absolute fireworks, nor the arrival of the Grand Moghul but it’s a bl**dy good dram, very complex. Just a tiny tad too oaky for my taste. 91 points - whiskyfun.com

...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 96 points rating, but there is nothing I would add or take away from this whisky.- Olivier Humbrecht, whiskyfun.com

...Antique copper color, with some streaks of gold. A complex array of dried fruit on the nose, peppered with dried spice, orange marmalade, dark chocolate, and wood shavings. On the palate, the immediate impact is once again marmalade, followed briefly by bramble before drier notes of dark chocolate, wood shavings, anise, and subtle smoke emerge. Dry and spicy on the finish, but never austere. A delicious, contemplative 40 year old Highland Park that has aged gracefully. 93 points - whiskyadvocate.com