I picked up this bottle on auction almost two years before the US chapter of SMWS released it— in fact they released it just a few months after I finally got around to opening it. I have no idea why that bottle got so delayed, or trapped in some shipping limbo. Typically when the US releases the same whiskies as another chapter, it is a maybe six months later— this was years.  I grabbed the bottle because it seemed like a good deal, and I do not mind a good Highland Park. After auction fees and shipping, I paid just a bit less than what I would have had I just waited a few years.

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Whisky: Highland Park 18 Year (2004), SMWS 4.379 “Cliffside Harbour”

Country/Region: Scotland/Islands

ABV: 63.8%

Cask: Oloroso Butt (16Y), Refill American Oak Oloroso Butt

Age: 18 Years (Distilled 18 May 2004)

Notes: Barbecue and tobacco wafted out with hints of menthol and camphor infused medicinal patches, rubber buoys, plastic seat covers, and musty life jackets, the kind that have never been used and typically sit stuffed in the fiberglass hull of a boat. It was like a day at the lake some weeks after a forest fire with dusty earth, charred wood, and grilled red meat. Chocolate covered cherries and dark chocolate cake lingered in the background, coming forward with a few drops of water. Medium to full-bodied, the palate was weighty and thick, though water left it more oily and balanced— without water this could be a firecracker on the palate with plenty of peppery spirit. The flavors were similar, though more cherries and scorched peaches appeared with soot, burnt wood, and cracked pepper. Maritime notions were inconsistent, and many of the medicinal elements of the aroma appeared only with water. Cocoa powder, muddy water, and plastics lingered toward the end with a drying astringency. The finish was long, sooty, and drying with salted dark chocolate, charcoal, sour cherries, and pepper.

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Score: 7 (84)

Mental Image: Weekend at the Lake

Conclusion: This was a cracking and spirited affair that only reluctantly settled down over the years. Some of the tighter sherry and wood elements softened a bit as the bottle fill level slipped lower which allowed for more complexity to emerge and less water to be needed. The sherry cask amplified some of the dirtier qualities of the peated malt and produced a wonderful fruit contrast. The malt had a lovely weight and the finish was long enough that a small pour went a long way. Overall, in my mind, this had little of the classic Highland Park profile to it, which I typically find quite maritime with more coal soot, but this was still delicious and I have no regrets.