Another Grand Discovery

For the record, CA Scotch Chick took some heat on the Whisky Mag forum for her review of Highland Park 16. There had been an earlier post from her buddy Mr. Tattieheid describing it as flat, and there was some discussion after CA Scotch Chick's post as to why the two could have had such different experiences, with an hypothesis that the early versions of the Highland Park 16 were inferior to the latest releases. 

Another poster made the sacrifice and picked up a bottle at Toronto Duty Free. He sided with Mr. Tattieheid and pronounced the Highland Park 16 "unremarkable." Oh dear; this was interesting and a bit embarrassing!

As part of the dialogue, there was a suggestion that CA Scotch Chick try the Highland Park 21, also only available in Duty Free stores, and the general consensus on the post and from searching earlier posts was that it was high quality, worth its 110 dollar price tag. Always willing to make the appropriate sacrifices for Loyal Scotch Chix Fans, the CA Scotch Couple picked up a bottle of the Highland Park 21 on the way to Prague. And, once again they ignored all conventions against drinking at an hour when many people were still nursing their first cup of coffee, and cracked open the bottle as soon as the room was ready.

What they discovered was a fantastic single malt whisky that tasted very similar to the 16! In fact, CA Scotch Gent's take on it was that he couldn't tell the difference. The CA Scotch Couple savored their new discovery and theorized as to why the two were so similar. Could the Highland Park 16 they had from Oslo be mis-bottled Highland Park 21? No, because DC Scotch Chick had the same experience with her bottle of Highland Park 16 from Instanbul. Was it just a trick of their memories that made the two whiskys that similar? Finally, the CA Scotch Couple knew they had to make the ultimate sacrifice. They set aside a sample to take home for a side by side comparison.

The sample actually made it through the week. And,  it turns out the two scotches are not exactly the same, but they are, in fact, quite similar. The Highland Park 21 is a definite sibling of the Highland Park 16. As expected for an older whisky, the Highland Park 21 is smoother and has more body. However, it has almost the same fruity palate, maybe leaning more toward cherries than toward raspberries, just a bit more intense in its flavor. CA Scotch Gent called the 21 "a more serious scotch," and the 16 "light and playful." Neither the 16 nor the 21 have that distinctive Highland Park buttery taste that CA Scotch Chick has found in the 12, 25 and 30. They seem to be a couple of entries in the line-up that stand on their own.

Is the Highland Park 21 better than the 16? Definitely! Once she tasted the 21, CA Scotch Chick backed off of her assessment that the Highland Park 16 was silky and sublime, and geared it back to light and wonderful. Is the Highland Park 21 40 dollars worth of better? The CA Scotch Couple don't think so. The two whiskys are so close in flavor that the CA Scotch Couple just can't justify spending the extra money simply for the body. 

And what of the two bad reviews on the Whisky Mag forum? Well, there are a couple of possibilities. The first is that North America really does have an older and/or a different version of Highland Park 16 in its Duty Free stores. The more likely possibility, however, is that people simply have different tastes. Both Highland Park 16 and 21 are light, fruity whiskys, very unlike the usual Highland Park line. Maybe some people simply don't care for that combination.  

CA Scotch Chick stands by her assessment that they are both excellent whiskys. Perhaps we can get some Loyal Scotch Chix Fans to give them a try and weigh in on the subject.