Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

17-Year-Old Highland Park Single Malt Scotch Whisky Review

Sam Slaughter
By
highland park the light scotch whisky

Back in March, we wrote about the first of two special-edition whiskies that were to be released by Scotch whisky company Highland Park in 2018: The Dark, a 17-year-old single malt whiskey aged exclusively in first-fill European oak sherry casks and meant to represent the cold, long autumn and winter seasons on the Orkney Islands. Now that the colder months are (thankfully) behind us, Highland Park has introduced the second in the series: The Light. 

The Light is a 17-year-old single malt Scotch whisky (just like The Dark) created to represent the spring and summer on Orkney. (Summer days, for those that want a fun fact to break out when opening your very own bottle of The Light, last for 20 hours on Orkney. If you need a second fun fact, you can drop the truth bomb that temperatures generally stay between 60 degrees and 35 degrees Fahrenheit — not too summery, but when the average winter high is around 44 degrees, 60 degrees seems practically sweltering.)

Related Videos
Highland Park Whisky THE LIGHT 17 Year Old (Tasting Notes)

Aged entirely in refill American oak casks, The Light has no color added, giving it a light golden hue. On the nose, you’ll find apples and pears mixing with a little bit of oak and a very subtle layer of peat smoke. The fruitiness continues on the palate, with more orchard fruits coming through, this time with vanilla and caramel rounding out the profile. While it is somewhat light and summery, it is still not something to be taken lightly — The Light is 52.9 percent ABV and has some strong pepper and oak notes on the palate to match the light fruit flavors. The finish isn’t quite as long as an Orkney summer day, but it’s close.

Related

As we guessed, not only is the whisky a contrast to The Dark, but so is the bottle — the pale green(ish) glass is a stark (and aesthetically-pleasing) antithesis to the black bottle of the first whisky in the series.

Highland Park The Light retails for around $300 and can be found online here. If it sounds like a bottle you need to pick up, you’ll want to hurry — only 4,500 bottles were shipped to the United States.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
This is how to mix cocktails with honey for a flavorful drink
Honey is a great way to add a little sweetness and texture to a cocktail. Here's how to mix with the stuff.
Buckwheat Honey Old Fashioned on table.

Like tasty maple syrup or demerara, honey is a great cocktail ingredient that can impart flavor and sweetness. With much more character than, say, simple syrup, honey can improve drinks across the board, from a steaming Hot Toddy to a Bee's Knees cocktail.

We like a nice dose of honey in everything from a great hot cocktail to a classic bourbon creation like an Old Fashioned. But not just any honey will do and, often, you don't just want to throw it in last minute. Instead, honey can be prepped a bit so it can enter a drink seamlessly. Moreover, you can source some delicious higher-end honey that will offer lovely floral components and easy-to-mix-with flavors. Here's how to mix cocktails with honey.

Read more
The ultimate guide to world-class seafood paella, according to an executive chef
Chef Miguel Molina of La Pulperia NYC shares his culinary insight on the perfect seafood paella
Paella from La Pulperia.

Perfectly al-dente rice flush with fresh shellfish, a properly made seafood paella is one of the greatest foods in the world. This delicacy from Valencia, Spain, is the perfect dish for a festive gathering, a fun family meal, or a romantic dinner for two. While it can be made with poultry and game meat in Spain, some of the most popular versions of paella often lean heavily into seafood.

At La Pulperia, a pan-Latin American restaurant in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, they've mastered the seafood paella. Executive Chef Miguel Molina is a native of Guerrero, Mexico, and is lending his creativity and culinary background to the restaurant menu, which includes a stellar paella made with black squid ink. The food here is a blend of cultures, combining influences from Latin and South American countries like Peru, Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico, creating totally distinctive flavor combinations. So what better guide is there to help us on the journey of making a world-class paella?
The foundation: The rice
Octopus paella from La Pulperia in NYC.

Read more
How to make Ranch Water the right way for a day-drinking gem
Looking for a refreshing beverage suitable for functional day-drinking? Search no more, ranch water is here.
Refreshing Cold Tequila Ranch Water Cocktail with Lime.

If there was ever a beverage built for day drinking, it's Ranch Water. The simple cocktail, born in Texas, can take the sting out of the hottest days and refresh you to the core, without knocking you out with an abundance of alcohol.

We're still hibernating our way through winter but the days are getting longer and, soon enough, the warmth will return. When that happens, you'd be wise to have some Ranch Water on hand for you and yours. Lighter than a Margarita and far more interesting than plain water, the drink resides in a happy middle ground. Better, it'll tackle your thirst and keep you functional.

Read more