Review #269 - SMWS 4.319 'From Coast to Kiln' - Highland Park 10 Year
One of the most commonly bottled distilleries by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society: Highland Park, distillery code 4. There are well over 350 single casks now in circulation from this bottler and distillery combination, and here, we have the 319th: 'From Coast to Kiln.'
Interestingly, this sees a rather unusual cask combination: after first maturing for several years in an ex-bourbon casks, it was re-racked into another fresh ex-bourbon cask for finishing. This bottle falls into the Society's 'Lightly Peated' category due to that signature Highland Park distillate with its hints of smoke.
SMWS 4.319 'From Coast to Kiln' - Highland Park 10 Year
Scotland/Highland - Single Malt
Price Paid: USD 120 (2023)
Age Statement: 10 Years
Strength: 63.3% ABV
Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon hogshead, finished in a first fill ex-bourbon barrel
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; distilled January 27, 2011; 237 bottles
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 4 times over 8 months; bottles at 100%, 70% (blind tasting), 60%, and 50% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: A strong nose with sweet floral notes and some juicy fruit character: poached pear, pink lemonade, fruit gummy candies. There's a heathery side with soft smokiness, and perfume notes grow stronger with time; quite sweet, with accent smells of Creme de Violette, burnt sugar, wildflower honey, and dry oats.
Palate: A thick mouthfeel, quite warm as well - powerfully flavored. Lots of flowery and perfumed flavors, some fizzy sherbet, lavender, and lots of hay; very oily texture, and baking notes of white bread, brown sugar, and hints of vanilla. There's still a fruity side, which adds candied lemon, mango, and Pina Coladas.
Finish: A medium-long finish; the smokiness is very reserved, just a tiny influence now. More perfume and flowers, along with lemon and mild tea. Baking notes are the strongest flavors, though: honey, banana bread, butterscotch, and sweet vanilla linger.
Final Note: Great balance, with a nice spirit influence still lingering, but plenty of ex-bourbon cask involvement, too. Absolutely packed with flavor, and it drinks a little bit hot at times - not a huge surprise, given the strength of more than 63% ABV. It definitely showcases that heathery, softly smoky character that Highland Park is known for. For our palates, a great example of the distillery.
This was one of the more reasonably priced SMWS bottles in recent times - for us, value is slightly above average (based purely on bottle price, discounting the required annual membership).
Our Average Rating: 8.3 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.74
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