Highland Park 30 Year Old

Nose: Cinnamon with golden raisin and nutty toffee. Or: s'mores, & bales of hay.

(Of course by s'mores I mean a strong essence of milk chocolate and vanilla [marshmallow], along with evident graham crackers and a tiny amount of heat. But the hay [or golden raisin] imparts enough freshness so it is not overbearing.) I think you could also imagine this combination of aromas as dried figs with cinnamon. Exquisite.

Palate: Orange and lemon zests on entrance, over fresh strawberry. Becoming red-hot candy cinnamon with grapefruit pith. (You might get an almost chewable chocolate sensation if kept sitting in the mouth). Finally, closing with hot ginger numbness, around grassy vanilla and slightly salty toffee.

Finish: Cinnamon orange zest and toffee... toffee with spicy ginger... eventually cool vanilla anise.

Not as peaty as I expected (is there any at all?); nor as fruity as I might usually like. But a refreshing yet rich vanilla-based malt that hits the right notes at the right times. No bitterness. The lasting impression is vanilla-toffee with cinnamon and ginger, but there are earthy and spicy complexities at each stage. I have just noticed the price point and do not find it justified when there are other good 'vanilla-themed' malts out there; nevertheless I am happy to have tried this.

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