If you’re new here, welcome to Two Drams A Day! Each article is a personal journey where I pair two whiskies, often Scotch single malts among others, to discover the subtle differences that make each one unique and special. My approach is hands-on and intimate: I taste these whiskies side-by-side and share my real-time observations, from unexpected delights to the occasional letdowns. In the end, I choose a favourite, and along the way, I hope to learn something new and share that knowledge with you. If you’re curious about the nuanced and fascinating world of whisky and enjoy a personal touch in your reading, you’re in the right place. Stick around, subscribe, and join me on this flavorful adventure, two drams at a time!

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Well, it’s a [rainy] Sunday night in London, and that means that I get to pop open another dram from the Cask Explorer‘s 2022 Advent Calendar and reward myself with something special because this is the Diamond Edition, you see, and it usually serves tasty treats. So, behind door #14, we’ve got a dram of 21-year-old Highland Park subtitled August 2019 Release. It’s bottled at a run-of-the-mill ABV of only 46.0%, and I wonder if it’s still a coloured and chill-filtered dram. It doesn’t say so on the bottle, so let’s assume it is. I decided to pair it with a dram from an unopened bottle from my personal archives, and I purposely picked the same-aged single malt, regrettably bottled at an even lower 43% ABV, so I will not award either one of these my coveted integrity bottling star. But it is The Glenlivet, and I know I’ll like the way it tastes. So, let’s get to it, shall we? But first, we need music! Now playing: Bersarin Quartett – Systeme.

Let’s pour both into the Glencairn glasses and let them breathe for the first 21 minutes. Meanwhile, I’ll review some notes. What have I not said about this Orkney Island distillery before? It’s one of the few left distilleries that still operate a traditional malting floor, turning the barley over by hand to ensure an even germination and drying. They mostly use sherry [seasoned?] oak casks to add some depth to their already rich whisky, which is sometimes smoked with that Orkney peat – mostly twigs and bushes, and no iodine in sight. This particular release claims to be from a hand-picked selection of only 15 “identical quantities of first-fill sherry seasoned European oak casks, first-fill sherry seasoned American oak casks and refill casks,” laid down in 1998 (and earlier years). I found on the website that this bottle is of “natural cask-driven colour” – okay, that’s great to know, but why was this not stated on the bottle? Let’s move on over to The Glenlivet for a bit. Again, I can resume complaining a bit about the entire process of chill-filtering and watering down this fine single malt down to 43%, but… it’s just such a good damn whisky. Mine is from Batch 0714M, bottled in 2014 (so, it’s at least from 1993!). This one is from The Archive series, not to be confused with the current triple-cask 21-year-old, albeit my particular bottling does not reveal the casks used in the vatting. I don’t think that you can find this bottle anywhere any longer, but you can surely buy one at an auction, fluctuating between 100 and 160 GBP [so if you see the lower price, just grab it]. Okay, I think it’s been 20+ minutes since I’ve started. Let’s finally go in and put these side-by-side!

The nose is sweeter on the Highland Park, but it is darker on the Glenlivet. Both promise sweet stewed fruit, some raisins, chocolate, and a little tobacco (more so on the Highland Park – a bit of that Orkney smoke). The sherried profile is coming in nicely on both of these, and I’m wondering which one will taste better (and if the extra ABV on the Highland Park pays off!). The dram from Highland Park is smooth and sweet and somewhat toffee-flavoured. I love that character, specific to this distillery, that’s prominent within each sip and which retains itself in a slightly lengthy finish. I do not taste the smoke, at least not in the first sip. Let’s go for the contender. It’s slightly lighter, just as sweet, but now it’s more fruitier and sherried than toffeed. It also has that familiar profile unique to The Glenlivet, but I think the finish on this one is slightly shorter. Yes, the Highland Park is a rounder, slightly darker dram, and now, after The Glenlivet, it comes in with a welcome texture on the palate. The Glenlivet retorts, but it’s a quieter and, yes, again, diluted answer to the swing. I really wish I could have tasted this at cask strength – it would have been amazing. Sigh! Let’s take a pause, a sip of San Pellegrino water, and a breath of that polluted London air. I would have liked to add a bit of water to these drams, but I’m afraid to bring them down any lower. Ok, I’ll do a tiny, tiny drop! Let’s go in reverse order this time. Yes, The Glenlivet changed a little, becoming slightly darker, with burnt caramel and spice. Yes, it’s delicious, absolutely gorgeous, but so thin and short on finish! The Highland Park is definitely slightly thicker, oiler even, which adds to the smoothness, and then that toffee and caramelized buttered bananas torched in all the right places.

Distillery / Region	Highland Park / Islands	The Glenlivet / Speyside
Producer	The Edrington Group	Chivas Brothers (Pernod Ricard)
Bottler / Series	Distillery bottling / Annual releases	Distillery bottling / Archive Series
Stated Age / Vintage	21 years old / 1998	21 years old / 1993?
Cask type	European & American 1st Fill Sherry + Refill	No idea, presumably ex-sherry
ABV / Cask Strength	46% / No	43% / No
Non-chill filtered/ Uncoloured	No / No [website says yes]	No / No
Price	£ 200+	£ 160+
Did it win? / Did I like it?	Yes / Yes – delicious!	No / Yes – I love this and the XXV!
Would I buy it? / Recommend it?	Maybe – the price is high / Yes, get a dram	Yes, before the price goes up / Yes, get a dram

So there you have it, folks, another lovely tasting. I really want to give more love to this Glenlivet. I bought another bottle of The Glenlivet XXV, and I must say, I drink it on occasion to celebrate a particular event in my life. It’s also bottled at only 43%, but let me tell you, by itself (if you do not taste any other), it’s just outstanding. However, when compared to a similarly aged single malt, as we see in this tasting, presented at a slightly higher ABV, it lags just a little bit behind and struggles to deliver the same rounded mouthfeel. It’s got a different profile than the Highland Park – I’ll also give you that. But there are no surprises in this well-made whisky. It’s simply perfect, like a pretty model. But even models need a little scar to be unique. So, with that said, I’ll pause here and proclaim the Highland Park 21-year-old as the winner of this round. Thanks for sticking around, and please come again!