Review #728 - SMWS 4.293 'A Cunning Combo' - Highland Park 19 Year

Written By Me, My Wife & Whisky

The vast majority of whiskies from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society these days spend the majority of their maturation time in ex-bourbon barrels, generally hogsheads, though a lot of those whiskies are then finished in a variety of different cask types. Less often, though, we do still see some single malts that are fully matured in other cask types; here's an example from Highland Park, which spent its full 19 years in Oloroso sherry casks.

There's another interesting twist on this single cask, though: after being matured for 17 year in an Oloroso sherry butt, this was transferred into another cask for finishing, also an Oloroso sherry cask. This was a second-fill sherry butt, though, which had previously held whisky from the Society's Distillery 29, or Laphroaig. On top of the sherry influence, that combination has the potential to add a bit more of a peat smoke from the Islay distillery's influence on the sherry butt.

SMWS 4.293 'A Cunning Combo' - Highland Park 19 Year

Scotland/Highland - Single Malt

Price: USD 345 (2025)

Age Statement: 19 Years

Strength: 58.9% ABV

Cask Makeup: Oloroso sherry butt, finished in an ex-Islay second fill Spanish oak Oloroso sherry butt

Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; distilled August 20, 2001; 507 bottles

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 2 times (once blind) over 11 months from a sample. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes

Nose: Rich dark fruit, leather, tobacco leaves and tobacco smoke. Dark chocolate, cola, and caramel-chocolate candies add to the dark complexion; raisins, licorice, and mulled red wine also arrive. We find accents of mushroom funk, old perfumed oak, and herbal juniper; the oak grows more musty with time.

Palate: Charcoal, medium peat, and wood smoke combine for a brooding yet spicy introduction; then it's sassafras, root beer, cola, and fresh leather. Chocolate and hints of malt are accented by caramelized prune and juniper; tobacco grows much stronger with time. The mouthfeel is medium-thick.

Finish: A bit spirity and warming, but a nice combination of sweet and spicy flavors: cola, grapes and cherries, orange, more soft tobacco. The complexion is still dark, and the aftertaste has hints of mellow peat and a bit of sulphur. It's a long finish.

Final Note: At the time of writing, this is the highest rated single malt Scotch that we've published a review of - we absolutely love this bottle. So much depth, so dark and brooding - this whisky demands your attention, and you can spend a long time with the glass ass you dig into the different complexities. It is definitely cask-forward, which isn't a surprise after all of those years in sherry casks, but there's still a nice amount of peaty malt involved as well. Lots of fruit and dessert flavors... if you enjoy an old, oaky sherry bomb, a Highland Park like this is a great option.

This sort of bottle does come at a cost, though - this single cask was priced just under $350, which is very expensive. Value isn't great, then, but this is one of the rare occasions when we think the splurge on an expensive bottle like this could be worth it.

Our Rating: 9.3 / 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: 5.28

About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.

Me, My Wife & Whisky
Previous

Review #729 - SMWS Distillery 4 Rare Release 'Take Me to the Chippy' - Highland Park 20 Year
Next

Review #727 - Peerless Single Barrel Bourbon 'Cherry Soda'