Next up today is a truly ancient Highland Park, a twenty-five year old whisky bottled by Gordon and MacPhail to celebrate the Queen’s Silver Jubilee. A twenty-five year old whisky bottled in 1977 means this was distilled sometime in 1952 or prior, putting it right at the end of post-war rationing and a return to normal distillation and production. The whisky was quite the historical artifact and one of the oldest malts I have tried this year by vintage. So cheers to the Queen, I have a feeling this will be good.

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Whisky: Highland Park 25 Year for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee

Country/Region: Scotland/Islands

ABV: 40%

Cask: Oak

Age: 25 Years (Bottled 1977)

Notes: Olive oil, cork-board, canvas, and lacquered wood with faint burning incense. Port-like fruits clung to cigarette smoke infused woven rugs with sheep-skin and lanolin in the background. It was an old-fashioned mix of musty linens, wood resins, herbaceous tobacco, and delicate fruits. Light-bodied and oily on the palate, the flavor profile offered up a similar mishmash, though with more structure as olive oil and musty notes of lanolin and cigarette smoked infused rugs appeared. More dried fruits, currants, plums, and strawberries arrived next with a kiss of pepper, cured meats, and more aging books in the background. Honey and orange marmalade with a kiss of ginger joined near the end with just a touch of woodier, resinous notes. The finish was incredibly long with not quite ripe plums and green mango leading a kiss of salinity and incense smoke.

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Score: 8-9 (89)

Mental Image: Musty Attic Memories

Conclusion: This was special. It started a touch shy and needed time to open up, but once it did the flavors were wonderfully well-structured and vibrant. It was quite light and delicate at first, and I wished it had a bit more power and oomph, but it gradually built on its initial oiliness so that by the end of the glass it had some heft and texture.  The flavors were unusual, though not atypical for the period or the age— some of them were likely always there, but this had a bit of the sepia/faded quality I associate with the old bottle effect. No surprise there as this sat in glass for nearly half a century.  Overall, cheers to the Queen’s whisky, this was excellent.