Highland Park Harald with Padron 1926 box pressed 40 year anniversary

Before I go on, please note that I did not add this whisky to my infinity bottle. Mainly because I just opened the bottle but also for the reasons below.

HIGHLAND PARK HARALD single malt scotch whisky

I was very excited to try this whisky because I have been a fan of Highland Park for sometime. In my opinion, their standard 12YO single malt is the best of the price range amongst the usual suspects of similarly priced competitors (e.g. Glenlivet, Macallan, Glenmorangie, Glenfiddich etc...), but I digress.

The Harald had an immediate orange nose, not like mandarins or naval oranges but calamondin oranges or miniature oranges, followed by peat then oak and honey flavours. I imagined the taste would be amazing with only light hints of peat but to taste it was, for me, disappointing. The peat overwhelms the tongue which is great if you like a peated whisky, and I do sometimes, but I didn't enjoy the shock or the length that this peat held. The second sip felt like the peat from the first sip still lingered. The second glass was no different. In fact I changed to another whisky that I knew had little or no peat but still the peat from the Harald persisted.

Cigar pairing - not recommended

This did not work well for me and I am sharing this experience so that you and others can learn from it what you will.

I had the Padron 1926 box pressed 40 year anniversary cigar. I had hoped the smooth draw and nutty flavours from the Padron would save my palate from the persistent peaty taste from the Harald. It didn't. I don't recommend this pairing. If you have smoked this Padron before you would know how great it is as a standalone cigar. If you would like some suggestions as to what whiskys pair with this cigar, let me know. The Harald didn't work.

Finally, for those interested in the infinity bottle, I did not and would not add this. The peat would kill all other flavours.