When I first discovered Highland Park 25 it blew my mind (still does to this day). For many years the 25 YO was bottled at a deliciously perfect 50.7%. Even older versions with 1960s juice were 53.5%. When they rebranded to 48.1% it was slightly less rich and balanced but still a great dram. I never tried the 45% and now prices have become insane. Oh well. Thanks for the comparison guys. I’ll have to seek out a dram of the 45 sometime.
I really enjoy watching your reviews. You have such a great back and forth between the two of you and it gives two different perspectives. Doesn't hurt that you're having some epic drams either... Thanks for sharing.
Interesting comparison review. Your HP 25 at 45.7% must be much darker than mine because I have these two and the color difference is like night and day. Both versions are great whiskies, but I absolutely love the 48.1% version. I would love to try one of the old Cask Strength versions or the Cadenheads one you sampled a couple of months ago.
I have a cask strength 25 from 2004 I believe. Sampled two of them... in my mind I always preferred the 48.1 but I never compared them side-by-side until recently. That’s what I love about these Vs reviews. I’m often surprised by what I find. So easy to romanticize about the past, even recent past. Oh, if you get a chance to buy that Cadenhead hp 28 or 26... do it.
One of the great things about the HP 18 (the older bottles, not the Viking Pride) that is often overlooked is that it is excellent whisky overall and at about $120 for a bottle you could drink the stuff like a fish and not get sent to the poor house. The HP 25 and 30 are obviously better drams depending on your taste, but only those with very deep pockets will be drinking it with reckless abandon. Prices have gotten crazy. Yesterday I bought a bottle of the 30 @ 45.7% ABV. It wasn't cheap at $1,049. The same shop has the 25 Year Old from the same time frame. They have both been on the shelf for 5 or 6 years. I will probably go back for the 25 too. I don't see prices rebounding anytime soon. You have to pay through the nose to play if you want the older stuff, especially from premium brands, and there is no getting around it. The days when you could waltz into a shop in NYC and buy a bottle of Talisker 25 Cask Strength for less than $150 are long gone and aren't coming back.
Man, Talisker 25 cask strength is among my favorite whiskies. I prefer the 2004 but all are excellent... Used to be $89 in Chicago. I would be hard pressed to think of another distillery that has fallen as far as Highland Park. They were easily in my top five years ago but everything they release now is mediocre whisky at best. If you can get the 25 (45.7%) for under $750 do it.
@@topshelfwhisky I managed to buy two bottles of the HP25 @ 45.7% for $759 each. In 2007 I bought a case of the Talisker 25 Year Old Cask Strength 2005 release. I paid $125 per bottle. I knew a few people who bought the same whisky in NYC for $90 a bottle. Now I'm down to my last two bottles.
@@topshelfwhisky I have had the HP25 before, but it was many, many years go. The 45.7% from 2016 that I bought is pretty amazing juice. I opened a bottle the night I brought it home and just had to have a taste. Very, very deep whisky. The nose of the 30 Year Old ever-so-slightly edges out the 25, but on the palate the 25 reigns supreme in my view. Is it the best dram I have ever tasted? Perhaps...perhaps not. Many a world class dram have crossed my lips, and it is too easy to get caught up in what you are drinking right now as what you had years ago is only a distant memory. Having said that, this HP25 definitely deserves to be in the conversation. It is that good. And one tasting isn't anywhere near enough to fully wrap your senses and mind around this wonderful whisky. It has so much going on in all the right ways that you have to come back to it again and again to fully appreciate what you have here. It's a masterpiece of a single malt and I don't say that very often.
Great review guys. I just picked up a bottle of the HP 25 45.7%. Have you considered reviewing the HP 17 Dark? A few websites still have it in stock. Thanks.
Thanks! Yes, We have the Hp The Dark, The Light, Ice and Fire coming in the next few months. All are 17 years old besides Fire. Dustin and I are just nailing down the profiles of each. Great suggestion 👍🏻
@@topshelfwhisky blind with 100++ whiskies to chose from? Lets start with it should taste old :) And has sherry. Then we can talk white chocolate notes lol
By the time I got into Scotch the Viking hype era had begun at Highland Park. Found a dusty discontinued 15 and the distillery single cask that I got was my Whisky of the year in 2020 but looking at the ones out there there is some variation in the casks they are putting out. Really enjoyed a independent "The Ultimate" Whitlaw (secret HP name) 5yr dechar/rechar sherry butt 46% ncf nc bottle from the Netherlands. Did not taste 5 years young and the rechar cask really did a nice job on the spirit. Wish I had got two more as it was cheap. Cheers guy's
I found an old 15, the 2007 release I believe. I preferred it to the current 18 and the pre Viking 18. But in general the current releases don’t do much for me. Highland Park was always one of my top five distilleries but to honest what they are releasing now isn’t worthy of that distinction
Развлечения
When I first discovered Highland Park 25 it blew my mind (still does to this day). For many years the 25 YO was bottled at a deliciously perfect 50.7%. Even older versions with 1960s juice were 53.5%. When they rebranded to 48.1% it was slightly less rich and balanced but still a great dram. I never tried the 45% and now prices have become insane. Oh well. Thanks for the comparison guys. I’ll have to seek out a dram of the 45 sometime.
I really enjoy watching your reviews. You have such a great back and forth between the two of you and it gives two different perspectives. Doesn't hurt that you're having some epic drams either...
Thanks for sharing.
These were not bad pours.
Good whisky makes everything better.
Just found the channel, great stuff. From London, UK.
Cheers, from the other side of the pond!
welcome to the channel, we try and knock out 2 reviews a week or what think are pretty good whiskies.
@@topshelfdustin3060 Yeah I see its up a level, class stuff. Thanks.
You guys do a great job ✌️
Thank you!
Interesting comparison review. Your HP 25 at 45.7% must be much darker than mine because I have these two and the color difference is like night and day. Both versions are great whiskies, but I absolutely love the 48.1% version. I would love to try one of the old Cask Strength versions or the Cadenheads one you sampled a couple of months ago.
I have a cask strength 25 from 2004 I believe. Sampled two of them... in my mind I always preferred the 48.1 but I never compared them side-by-side until recently.
That’s what I love about these Vs reviews. I’m often surprised by what I find. So easy to romanticize about the past, even recent past.
Oh, if you get a chance to buy that Cadenhead hp 28 or 26... do it.
Great versus guys👍🏻
HP is not a favorite distillery of mine, actually do not have any bottle of HP on my shelf😬
But the 25y and the 30y is great😋
The standard 18 was a favorite of mine early in the whisky journey but I do admit age really helps this distillery.
Great video boys. Doesn’t typically get much better then HP 25😋
It's a high bar for sure!
for sure!
One of the great things about the HP 18 (the older bottles, not the Viking Pride) that is often overlooked is that it is excellent whisky overall and at about $120 for a bottle you could drink the stuff like a fish and not get sent to the poor house. The HP 25 and 30 are obviously better drams depending on your taste, but only those with very deep pockets will be drinking it with reckless abandon. Prices have gotten crazy. Yesterday I bought a bottle of the 30 @ 45.7% ABV. It wasn't cheap at $1,049. The same shop has the 25 Year Old from the same time frame. They have both been on the shelf for 5 or 6 years. I will probably go back for the 25 too. I don't see prices rebounding anytime soon. You have to pay through the nose to play if you want the older stuff, especially from premium brands, and there is no getting around it. The days when you could waltz into a shop in NYC and buy a bottle of Talisker 25 Cask Strength for less than $150 are long gone and aren't coming back.
Man, Talisker 25 cask strength is among my favorite whiskies. I prefer the 2004 but all are excellent... Used to be $89 in Chicago.
I would be hard pressed to think of another distillery that has fallen as far as Highland Park. They were easily in my top five years ago but everything they release now is mediocre whisky at best. If you can get the 25 (45.7%) for under $750 do it.
@@topshelfwhisky I managed to buy two bottles of the HP25 @ 45.7% for $759 each.
In 2007 I bought a case of the Talisker 25 Year Old Cask Strength 2005 release. I paid $125 per bottle. I knew a few people who bought the same whisky in NYC for $90 a bottle. Now I'm down to my last two bottles.
@@CrazyAboutVinylRecords That solid value on the HP.. you open one yet? Thoughts?
@@topshelfwhisky I have had the HP25 before, but it was many, many years go. The 45.7% from 2016 that I bought is pretty amazing juice. I opened a bottle the night I brought it home and just had to have a taste. Very, very deep whisky. The nose of the 30 Year Old ever-so-slightly edges out the 25, but on the palate the 25 reigns supreme in my view. Is it the best dram I have ever tasted? Perhaps...perhaps not. Many a world class dram have crossed my lips, and it is too easy to get caught up in what you are drinking right now as what you had years ago is only a distant memory. Having said that, this HP25 definitely deserves to be in the conversation. It is that good. And one tasting isn't anywhere near enough to fully wrap your senses and mind around this wonderful whisky. It has so much going on in all the right ways that you have to come back to it again and again to fully appreciate what you have here. It's a masterpiece of a single malt and I don't say that very often.
Great review guys. I just picked up a bottle of the HP 25 45.7%. Have you considered reviewing the HP 17 Dark? A few websites still have it in stock. Thanks.
Thanks! Yes, We have the Hp The Dark, The Light, Ice and Fire coming in the next few months. All are 17 years old besides Fire. Dustin and I are just nailing down the profiles of each. Great suggestion 👍🏻
Oh nice. I have a 45.7% in a blind bottle waiting to be discovered.
that should be fun
The white chocolate note should give it away. But Dustin won’t agree
@@topshelfwhisky blind with 100++ whiskies to chose from? Lets start with it should taste old :) And has sherry. Then we can talk white chocolate notes lol
By the time I got into Scotch the Viking hype era had begun at Highland Park. Found a dusty discontinued 15 and the distillery single cask that I got was my Whisky of the year in 2020 but looking at the ones out there there is some variation in the casks they are putting out. Really enjoyed a independent "The Ultimate" Whitlaw (secret HP name) 5yr dechar/rechar sherry butt 46% ncf nc bottle from the Netherlands. Did not taste 5 years young and the rechar cask really did a nice job on the spirit. Wish I had got two more as it was cheap. Cheers guy's
I found an old 15, the 2007 release I believe. I preferred it to the current 18 and the pre Viking 18. But in general the current releases don’t do much for me. Highland Park was always one of my top five distilleries but to honest what they are releasing now isn’t worthy of that distinction