Highland Park 22-year-old (D.2000, B.2023) Old & Rare HL / 56.9% / 0.7l

The Old & Rare Platinum Selection series debuted in 2002 in the Douglas Laing & Co. offering (the first editions were bottled for the Japanese market).

It soon arrived in Europe, where it is still considered the most prestigious offering from independent publishers. In 2013, after 40 years of success, the Laing brothers divided the assets of the family company and started their own business. The Old & Rare series currently belongs to Hunter Laing & Co., founded and managed by Stewart Laing, and has lost none of its appeal. The Highland Park presented here, distilled in August 2000, spent over two decades in a refilled bourbon barrel, the contents of which in February 2023 translated into 163 bottles of cask strength whisky (56.9% abv).

Aroma : heather honey, toffee, caramel, apricots, oranges, apple bun, a pinch of white pepper and fennel, potpourri, notes of wax, peat and sandalwood.

Palate : chocolate-covered orange peel, raisins and sultanas, milk fudge, mocha, honey, salted caramel, dried herbs, toasted oak and a hint of smoke in the background.

Finish: quite long, slightly smoky and waxy, with notes of honey, salted caramel, dried fruit, milk chocolate and dried herbs.