The Highland Park Distillery on the Orkney Islands off the north coast of Scotland was founded in 1798 by Scottish preacher named Magnus Eunson. Since distilleries weren't legal under any circumstances in Scotland until the 1820s, he was also a bootlegger. Unlike many illegal distilleries, it managed the transition into a legally-licensed entity successfully, and the whisky that it produces has been well-regarded for over a century.The 12 year-old bottling is Highland Park's entry-level offering, at least in the United States; but it is in no way ordinary. If someone who had never had any Scotch wanted to experience both its breadth and its essence, he should try HP 12. It's smoky, but not overpoweringly so like an Islay. It has the honeyed sweetness that one associates with the Highlands and the smoothness associated with Speyside. There's even a hint of brininess, which is a hallmark of island whiskies. If there is a better 12 year old Scotch, I don't know what it might be. If someone doesn't like Highland Park 12, chances are that he will not like any Scotch. It's fantastically good, and at around $32 a fifth in Houston, it's extremely reasonably-priced.
Incidentally, Highland Park has changed its packaging recently to what you see above. The bottle is now flask-shaped and the lettering is intended to evoke the late 19th Century. This is appropriate because the late 19th Century was the golden age of Scotch whisky. Many of the prominent distilleries of today were founded during the period, and the giants of Scotch blending like Johnnie Walker and Tommy Dewar (yes, they were actual people before they were international brands) turned what had been a regional spirit into the national drink of Great Britain and the spirit of choice of the entire British Empire (and assorted other locales around the world). The Scottish have been distilling for hundreds of years, but Scotch did not assume a form that would be recognizable to us today until the second half of the 19th Century.
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At the Western Beverages liquor store associated with Costco, tonight I saw a bottle of Highland Park for $57 and wondered if it was a good deal. I'm pretty sure it was a fifth, and their other bottles were reasonably priced -- a fifth of Buffalo Trace was $16, a fifth of Laphroaig was around $40. What gives?
Ben, is that the 12 year-old distillery bottling? If so, that's absurd. I have seen some third-party bottlings that were much more expensive, and $57 would be reasonable for the 15 year-old distillery bottling.
Perhaps it was the 15 year, though that would be a bit of surprise from that retailer. Then again, Western Beverages carries all sorts of fancy cognacs as well as "Texas Spirit Scotch", and this was set off near the cash register rather than in common stock.
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