Whisky: Highland Park 11 Year (1989), Signatory Vintage Cask 11582

Country/Region: Scotland/Islands

ABV: 57.7%

Cask: Sherry Butt

Age: 11 Years (Distilled 26 Oct. 1989, Bottled 29 Nov. 2000)

Nose: Sinus clearing with motor oil, dirty shop rags, eucalyptus and medicinal herbs, antiseptic wipes, tropical fruits and bergamot, industrial and maritime.

Palate: Medium to full-bodied, orange, pineapple upside-down cake, motor oil, medicinal and herbal with eucalyptus, brine, slightly metallic with rust; baking spices and pepper; earth and herbal notes toward the end.

Finish: Long and lingering with brine, smoke, and earth.

Score: 8 (88)

Mental Image: Mutant Maritime Koala Bear

Narrative & Notes: The aroma was big, bold, and sinus-clearing with motor oil, dirty shop rags, and eucalyptus. Mild camphor and antiseptic wipes pushed through ahead of bitter orange, pineapple, and bergamot with an underlying briny industrial dockyard. Medium to full-bodied with big orange, pineapple upside-down cake, and motor oil notes that carried an herbal-medicine edge of eucalyptus and camphor. Brine ran throughout with a metallic and rust quality abating licorice, anise, and black pepper. Earthy clay and herbal tea appeared at the end and lingered on a long and tingling finish with a kiss of brine and smoke.

I first tried this at a 1989-themed whisky tasting, and while I took no notes that afternoon, it stuck in my mind more than any other whisky that afternoon for its unique profile and bold flavors. Returning to it a few months later, I was still delighted by the well-structured and rich profile, which ranged from bright, citrusy orange to dirty industry and finally clay and black tea— it was a smorgasbord of different notions linked together by a river of brine and subtle smoke.

Overall, I have never had a Highland Park like this, and now I want more. It was filthy and slightly antiseptic— a robust beast from the past.