Review - Highland Park Twisted Tattoo

This whisky is a new single malt from the Orcadian distillery of Highland Park. It features spirit matured in first-fill ex-bourbon casks and ex-Rioja red wine casks - the first time they have used such wine barrels for maturation - and is bottled at 16 years of age. The packaging is inspired by the Nordic legend of the Midgard Serpent and features bespoke designs by tattoo artist Colin Dale. He is renowned for using traditional freestyle non-electric tattoo techniques and is inspired by the lost skin art of Inuit, Native American and Nordic cultures.

Review - Black Friday 2018 Edition 'Orkney Islands 18 years old Single Malt'

Black Friday has been and gone for another year. As always, whisky retailers were inevitably involved and saw companies tripping over each other to give their customers the best 'deals'. Some of the painfully low prices must have had the Master Blenders and Distillers around the industry crying in a dark corner of their blending labs and wondering why they had bothered working so hard. However, one retailer took a different approach.  The annual Black Friday bottling from leading UK spirits retailer The Whisky Exchange has quickly become a fixture in the pre-Christmas feeding frenzy.

Review - Highland Park Dragon Legend

The Dragon Legend is a new expression that has recently been released by the Orcadian single malt whisky brand of Highland Park. It is designed to have a 'richer and smokier flavour' than previous expressions of Highland Park and is initially exclusive to UK supermarkets, including Tesco. Dragon Legend will then be rolled out to key European markets in early 2018. The name takes inspiration from the brand's Viking heritage and the tale of the evil serpent Fafnir. It has been matured in a combination of American oak and European oak ex-sherry casks, and is bottled at a strength of 43.1% ABV. The recommended retail price is £40.

Review - Highland Park Valkyrie

Valkyrie is the first in a new trilogy of single malts from Highland Park. Named as the Viking Legend series, the packaging has been created by renowned Danish designer Jim Lyngvild. He is a 21st century Viking and lives in a traditional wooden Viking house that he constructed himself near Faaborg in Denmark. He also lives as an ancient Viking for two months of each year and his designs pull on the brand’s Viking routes. Valkyrie was created by Gordon Motion, the Master Blender of Highland Park, and will be followed by two further editions, named Valknut and Valhalla, in 2018 and 2019.

Review - Highland Park Ice Edition

This whisky is the latest limited edition single malt from Highland Park. The Ice Edition follows on from the recent Valhalla Collection and again pulls on the Nordic heritage of the Orkneys.  This expression is inspired by stories of the Ice Giants in Norse mythology and will be followed by the Fire Edition in 2017. The single malt is 17 years old and has been matured predominantly in ex-bourbon casks. It is presented in a blue glazed glass bottle, which in turn is housed in an bespoke wooden stand.  The bottle features an intricate circular design to represent the Viking circle of lifeand is accompanied by a booklet that tells the story of the Ice Giants.

Review - Scapa Skiren

Skiren is the new single malt expression from the Scapa distillery on the Orkney islands. The islands have a rich Nordic heritage and the name of this new whisky plays on this - Skiren translates as 'glittering bright sky' from the old Nordic language.  It has been been exclusively matured in first-fill American oak casks.  The Scapa distillery is located close to the village of St. Ola and close to Kirkwall, the capital of the Orkney islands. It is the second most northerly distillery in Scotland and misses out on first place to nearby Highland Park, which is just half a mile down the road.

Review - Highland Park Odin

Highland Park Odin is the greatly anticipated (and already sold-out) fourth and final bottling in The Valhalla Collection. Each single malt whisky in this series is named after legendary figures from Nordic history and Odin follows the previous award-winning releases of Thor, Loki and Freya.

This limited edition whisky with only 17,000 bottles released globally is presented in a dramatic black ‘battle worn’ bottle and black Viking long ship inspired wooden frame that is a signature to the complete series. It is 16 years old, 55.8% ABV, and for those lucky enough to have managed to pick up a bottle, it was available at a recommended retail price of £180. The whisky itself is aged in 250 litre hogsheads previously holding sherry; starting with refill casks then transferred to fresh first fill casks for a final four years.

New release - Highland Park 'Dark Origins'

The Dark Origins is the newest single malt release from the popular and multi award-winning Highland Park.  The distillery was founded in 1798 by David Robertson, although the legendary 'whisky priest' Magnus Eunson had been illegally distilling whisky on the site for years before that.  It is Eunson and those early shady dealings that they are saluting with this new 'no age statement' whisky. The Dark Origins is quoted as having "twice as many first fill ex-sherry casks as the classic Highland Park 12 years old".

New release - Highland Park Freya

This whisky is the third installment in the popular Valhalla Collection from the Highland Park distillery.  The different expressions have been released annually and all are named after Norse Gods and Goddesses - 2012 gave us Thor and 2013 gave us Loki, with the fourth and final one coming next year.  This year's bottling is named after Freya, the Goddess of Love. The series has built up a cult following and is one of the major new single malt releases in the early part of each year. 

New releases - Highland Park Warriors Series (part 2)

Earlier this year, we wrote about the Warriors Series from the multi award-winning highland Park distillery.  The series consists of six single malts, which are all named after figures from Nordic history, and three were launched back in February - Svein, Harald and Einar (pictured, above).  The final three whiskies, named Sigurd, Ragnvald and Thorfinn, have now been released and sees the full set together for the first time.  The Warriors Series is exclusive to the travel retail sector.

New release - Highland Park Loki

Each year, there are a few eagerly anticipated whisky releases that generate lots of interest and get consumers and whisky fans all excitable.  Highland Park Loki seems to be one such release.  People have been searching for clues and snippets of information for months about this second single malt from Highland Park's Valhalla Collection, following the universal acclaim gained by last year's first release named Thor.

New release - Highland Park 21 years old

This 21 years old is the eagerly awaited new release from the Highland Park distillery on the Orkney islands.  Why so eagerly awaited?  Well, it has not been available for approximately three years.  The previous version was released in 2007 and won the accolade of Best Single Malt of the Year at the prestigious World Whisky Awards in 2009.  As a result, it sold out in a flash and the guys at Highland Park have been waiting for suitable stock to reach the required quality and age ever since.

Highland Park is the most northern whisky distillery in Scotland. It is found close to the Orkneys' capital Kirkwall and is one of only two distilleries on the main island (Scapa is the other). Highland Park has one of the best selling and most highly awarded single malt whisky ranges in the world. It is currently owned by the Edrington Group and has an annual production capacity of 2.5 million litres.

Highland Park is one of the oldest whisky distilleries in Scotland and was established in 1798 by Magnus Eunson - he was known as the 'whisky priest' because he was a priest at Kirkwall's cathedral by day and (allegedly) an illegal whisky distiller by night, hiding his wares in the cathedral's crypt to avoid the prying eyes of the Customs & Excise men.

So, now the 21 years old expression makes a welcome return.  This 2012 version joins the award winning core range of Highland Park single malts.  It has been created from a selection of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks and has been bottled at an alcoholic strength of 47.5% ABV.  This new release is literally just appearing in specialist whisky retailers in the UK now and has a recommended retail price of £99.99. Other markets will follow over the coming months.

Our tasting notes
The colour is a bright golden yellow with a hint of amber. The nose is instantly engaging and there are plenty of luscious aromas to get your interest. This is packed with creamy vanilla, sweet honey, malty cereals and a whiff of warming peaty smoke, which has an edge of minerality to it. Beneath these obvious aromas are more subtle ones - hazelnuts, brown sugar, dried grasses, burnt orange and delicate wood spice, especially nutmeg.

On the palate, this whisky is sublime. It feels initially creamy and has a delicious intensity. There is a heady mix of sweet notes - think of vanilla, honey, toffee, crumbly brown sugar - and savoury notes - imagine wood spices such as nutmeg, dried ginger, hay and an earthy, drying peat smoke. Underneath are softer notes of milk chocolate, candied orange peel and bittersweet cereals, plus a pleasant hint of tropical fruit (something like mango or papaya, but hard to pinpoint). The slight prickle and heat from the ABV compliments all of these elements well and creates an almost perfect balance, depth and complexity. This is stunning, intense and delicious.

The finish is again initially sweet with lovely elements of creamy vanilla, malty barley and honey lingering.  However, it is the soft savoury smoke and the drying wood spices that linger longest. The whisky leaves your mouth watering and with the feeling of wanting to pour yourself another glass. The combination of elements is again superb.

What's the verdict? 
This 21 years old is a supreme single malt whisky. It has an incredible balance, texture and intensity - most people that were sampling it with us at a recent tasting event agreed that this was a product of extremely high quality.  We say - bite the bullet and spend £100, as you won't be disappointed. It is worth every penny and every drop.

Highland Park have thrown down the gauntlet to all the other distilleries with the exceptional quality of their first two releases of 2012. Both this 21 years old and the recently released limited edition Thor are excellent and are very early contenders for top spot in our Whiskies of the Year 2012. Don't be surprised to see either whisky pick up a pile of major awards - they are both going to be hard to beat.

New release - Highland Park Thor

As we recently reported in Inbox, the Highland Park distillery from the Orkney islands have announced a new range of single malt whiskies. The award-winning brand will release four limited edition whiskies in The Valhalla Collection, all of which will be named after and inspired by Norse legends and gods.  The Orkney islands have a rich Norse heritage dating back to ancient times and Highland Park consistently use this as a thread through their limited edition whisky ranges.

Highland Park is the most northern whisky distillery in Scotland. It is found close to the Orkneys' capital Kirkwall and is one of only two distilleries on the main island (Scapa being the other). Highland Park has one of the best selling and most highly awarded single malt whisky ranges in the world. It is currently owned by the Edrington Group and has an annual production capacity of 2.5 million litres. Highland Park is one of the oldest whisky distilleries in Scotland and was established in 1798 by Magnus Eunson, who was known as the 'whisky priest' because he was allegedly a priest by day and an illegal whisky distiller by night.

The first release in The Valhalla Collection is the Highland Park Thor, named after the most famous of the Norse gods.  His hammer is depicted on the bottle and the release is a limited edition (if you can call 20,000 bottles limited ...). It has been bottled at 16 years of age and at the natural cask strength of 52.1% ABV. It is presented in an extraordinary wooden box, which represents the head piece on a Nordic long boat. The retail price is around the £120 mark.

For further information on the Thor release and The Valhalla Collection - visit the special website www.whiskyofthegods.com.

Our tasting notes
The colour is golden yellow and the nose is highly scented with numerous pleasant aromas. There is an intense heady mix of notes - toffee, malty cereals, lemon zest and a blast of ashy, sooty smoke are particularly prominent with others taking time to come through.  These include notes of crumbly brown sugar, stewed apples, vanilla, yeast and a pinch of ginger and salt.  It feels very bracing and very promising.

On the palate, this is again intense with an initial kick of sooty and slightly earthy peat smoke.  This softens quickly and combines wonderfully with other elements. These are driven by a feeling of juicy green fruit (think of pears and apples) which is fresher than the fruitiness on the nose.  Other characteristics appear through the intensity and create a great depth and complexity.  There are big notes of honey, cereals, butter biscuits and lemon zest.  More subtle hints of ginger powder, vanilla, cinnamon, oak, salt and fresh dough contribute too. As the whisky mixes with your saliva it becomes less tangy and bracing, feeling creamier and quite buttery.

The finish is decently long, starting initially sweet before this gives way to the slightly acrid smoke and subtle wood spices.  The salty note seems much increased now and this saltiness cleanses the palate and refreshes your mouth.  The smokiness is extremely pleasant as it fades and loses some of its feisty nature.

What's the verdict?
Highland Park have done very well with this new release.  While the extraordinary wooden packaging may border on ostentation, the liquid in the bottles is exceptional.  The whisky demonstrates what Highland Park is all about and shows a mix of intensity, depth, complexity, flavour and a decent level of peat smoke without going too far.

Some have commented that Thor seems slightly overpriced, but it just about gets away with it due to the high quality of the whisky. Fans of the distillery should love this, as should lovers of good whisky.  It leaves us waiting in anticipation for the next releases in The Valhalla Collection - they have made a stunning start.

New releases > Highland Park Earl Haakon

The Earl Haakon is the much anticipated new release from the Highland Park distillery.  It is the third and final edition in their Magnus series - the first two bottlings (Earl Magnus and Saint Magnus) - celebrated the influential 11th century Viking Magnus (the clue was in the name!). This one is named after Magnus’ deceitful cousin Haakon, who was extremely violent as legend says and actually ordered Magnus’ death. Therefore, this new whisky is said to highlight the darker and more sinister nature of its namesake. The Earl Haakon is 18 years of age, is bottled at a cask strength of 54.9% ABV and the limited release consists of 3,300 bottles. These will be available shortly from specialist whisky retailers for £160 a bottle, which is made of handsome black glass.

Highland Park distillery is located on the Orkney islands to the north of the Scottish mainland and is the most northern whisky distillery in Scotland. In fact, it is one of the most northern distilleries of any kind in the world, beating others in Canada and Russia. Highland Park is located close to the capital of  Kirkwall and is one of only two distilleries on the main island (Scapa being the other). Highland Park is also one of the oldest whisky distilleries in Scotland - it was established in 1798 by Magnus Eunson. The award winning range makes Highland Park one of the best selling single malt whiskies in the world. It is currently owned by the Edrington Group and has an annual production capacity of 2.5 million litres.The core range is extensive and covers numerous age points and these are joined by a Duty Free/travel retail exclusive range, which are selected from specific vintage years.

Our tasting notes
The colour of the Earl Haakon is a golden amber and the nose is clean, expressive and oozes quality.  There is a lovely sweetness initially, which is reminiscent of slightly burnt brown sugar or caramel.  This sweetness carries on but is joined by other aromas - plenty of wood spice (oak, cedar wood, ginger), dried fruit (especially candied orange peel), damp woody smoke and wet cereal grains.  These all add depth and intrigue to the nose. On the palate, the whisky is immediately warming with more of the damp woody smoke in evidence than the nose suggested.  This soft smokiness combines superbly with some decent sweetness (again driven by caramel, brown sugar and soft dried fruit, especially sultana) and a lovely, intense spiciness which grips your taste buds (think of cedarwood, ginger and robust cereals).  Underneath are subtle notes of tangy orange zest and fresh peach.  The finish is very long and is sweet to begin with (that caramel again).  Then come some bittersweet cereal notes, before it turns dry with plenty of the oak spices evident.  The soft wood smoke compliments this and lingers for a good five minutes or so.

What's the verdict?
The Earl Haakon is a very interesting and well balanced whisky.  Having not tasted the first two releases in the series, we cannot compare it to them but this whisky stands up well on its own anyway.  It combines richness, sweetness, spiciness and a decent level of smokiness - all characteristics which Highland Park is well known for and for which they consistently win awards.  The whisky also stands up well to the addition of water, which softens the spicy and smoky notes but enhances the delicious caramel-like sweetness.

Have just tried ... Highland Park 21 years old

Highland Park is the most northern whisky distillery in Scotland. In fact, it is one of the most northern distilleries of any kind in the world, beating others in Canada and Russia. Highland Park is located on the Orkney islands to the north of the Scottish mainland, close to the capital Kirkwall, and is one of only two distilleries on the main island (Scapa being the other). Highland Park is one of the oldest whisky distilleries in Scotland and was established in 1798 by Magnus Eunson. He was known as the 'whisky priest' - he was a priest by day and an illegal whisky distiller and smuggler by night! The story goes that he used to store the whisky in the crypt under Kirkwall cathedral so that it would be safe from the nosy Customs & Excise men.

An award winning whisky
Highland Park is one of the best selling single malt whiskies in the world. It is currently owned by the Edrington Group and has an annual production capacity of 2.5 million litres. The success of Highland Park comes as a result of them creating a spirit which is smoky but not to the degree of the majority of Islay whiskies. The core range is extensive and covers different ages (12, 18, 25, 30 and 40 years old). There are also exclusive Duty Free travel retail releases at 16 and this 21 years old, as well as occasional limited edition bottlings. Highland Park is readily available and popular with the independent bottling companies. This 21 years old was first released in 2007 and is currently bottled at 47.5% ABV. It was named as Best Single Malt of the Year at the prestigious World Whisky Awards in 2009. A bottle should cost £80-85 from larger travel retail stores.

Our tasting notes
The colour of this whisky is a dark golden amber. The nose is rich and heavy with caramel and coal smoke notes. These are followed by more subtle notes of honey, dried fruits (especially raisins and candied orange peel), butterscotch, cereal grains and dried grass (think of hay). There is also a distinct heather note (imagine dried heather), which comes through. With time, the smokiness becomes softer and melts in with the other characteristics to give a lovely balance. On the palate, many of the notes from the nose are present - caramel, dried fruits (especially the candied orange peel), honey, heather, smoke and cereals. The whisky feels rich and sensual in the mouth but it is much spicier and drier than the sweeter elements of the nose suggest. There are more woody notes, along with toasted nuts and wood spices (think of toasted almonds, cinnamon and nutmeg). These becomes more exaggerated on the finish. The finish starts sweetly with a hit of that caramel, before the wood, drying coal-like smoke and wood spices begin to take over. It is rich and complex with the spicy, dry notes adding great balance to the whisky. Finally, there is a hint of dark chocolate and espresso coffee grains.

What's the verdict?
The 21 years old is a rich, sumptuous whisky that demonstrates why Highland Park's whiskies are so popular. It has something for everyone - sweetness but not too much, smokiness but not too much, spiciness but not too much, dryness but not too much ... you get the idea. Highland Park make great all-round whiskies and the result in this case creates plenty of complexity and interest within the dram. It is worth grabbing a bottle of this next time that you are travelling through an airport. We are definitely tempted!

Have just tried ... Highland Park 18 years old

Highland Park is the most northernly distillery in Scotland. It is located on the Orkney islands, near the capital Kirkwall, to the north of the Scottish mainland and is one of only two distilleries on the main island (Scapa is the other). Highland Park is one of the oldest and best known whisky distilleries in Scotland and was established in 1798 by Magnus Eunson. He was an interesting local character who was known as the 'whisky priest' - he was a priest by day and an illegal whisky distiller and smuggler by night. The story goes that he used to store the whisky in the crypt under Kirkwall cathedral so that it would be safe from the Customs and Excise men! It is currently owned by the Edrington Group and has an annual capacity of 2.5 million litres.

Highland Park is one of the best selling whiskies in the world. The success of Highland Park comes as a result of them creating a spirit which is smoky but not to the degree of the majority of Islay whiskies. It is therefore more subtle and approachable and is a good whisky to try if you don't like too much smoky flavour. The core range is extensive, covering different ages (12, this 18, 25,30 and 40 years old) with the majority matured in sherry casks. There are also some exclusive duty free travel retail releases at 16 and 21 years old, as well the occasional limited edition bottling such as the new Hjarta. Highland Park is readily available and popular with the independent bottling companies.

The colour of this Highland Park 18 years old is a gorgeous dark amber. The nose is fabulous and full of dried fruit (think of sultanas), caramel, sweet heather honey, some woody spice (imagine nutmeg) and soft peaty earthiness. On the palate, the fruit and honey are predominant and it is incredibly smooth. The smokiness is there but it does not overpower the whisky and is slightly floral (imagine heather - this comes from the fact that they put dried moorland heather in with the peat when drying the malted barley), earthy (think of damp soil) and light. There is also a slight saltiness (think of brine or sea air), a distinct nuttiness and some warm spices (like ginger and cinnamon or nutmeg). The combination of all these elements gives a gloriously rich, well balanced and rounded whisky that is easy to drink. The finish is long and warm with mellow smokiness, dried fruitiness and those spices again.

Highland Park 18 years old is a great dram and it is easy to see why this classic whisky has won multiple awards around the world. It has the honour of being the whisky that got us interested in quality whiskies and single malts and tastes even better today than it did on that day two years ago. A bottle should cost £55-60 from specialist whisky retailers, although it can also occasionally be found in larger supermarkets with good whisky selections. Excellent stuff and a definate 'try before you die' whisky!