Highland Park Viking Honour 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml) - Plus Bonus Cask Strength 50ml Miniature

Comes with a bonus 50ml miniature bottle of the high-octane Cask Strength Release No.3.

Ranked alongside the classic malts, revered as a spectacular after-dinner drink and without doubt '...a malt to challenge any Cognac or Armagnac', Highland Park's house style is fragrant and floral with a smooth, honeyed character over hints of citrus and smoke. The phenol content of their proprietary malt is 30-40ppm but the remainder which is imported from Simpson's is unpeated. Employing roughly 20% first-fill sherry casks, the distillery is serious about quality oak, spending $20 million a year on wood alone, more than any other Scotch distillery - despite having a fraction of the output of some of the larger brands. 

First released in 1979, the 12 year old remains the best introduction to the Orkney legend. A name change and packaging update took place in 2017. It's now called 'Viking Honour', adding to what seems like a never-ending series of Nordic themed labels. This special gift pack edition will please bargain hunters. It comes with a 50ml cask strength HP - a massive, extra smokey limited release bottled at a whopping 64.1% Alc./Vol!

12YO Retasted 2019 ...Surprisingly full at 40% ABV but loses vitality and flattens out towards the finish. Otherwise, mostly unchanged from our first tasting back in 2012. Subtle nashi-pear fruitiness combines with a judicious slap of peat and a spicy flourish. More peaty than some previous bottlings with drying brine, spice and smoke lingering. Closer to the HP style of 15 years ago.

Other reviews... "The sweet aroma is very inviting and draws you in closer to inspect the dram. The honey'd and vanilla fragrance takes a turn on the palate replaced by grass and pineapple. A lemon twist or two comes next with the peat smoke just teasing your senses." 91 points - drinkhacker.com

...This amber spirit has a light, briny vanilla scent and a silky feel. A veil of smoke rises through the Scotch (but fades out fast), leaving behind a sweet nutty, vanilla finish. 93 points - wineenthusiast.com

More Viking paraphernalia… Could we at least have Lagertha? Colour: gold. Nose: not my preferred style of HP either, but this is fresher, fruitier, more lively, even if the core is kind of similar. Bitter oranges, marmalade, ginger, ale, whiffs of pumpernickel bread, oak spices, a little leather and tobacco… Indeed I like this nose better. Mouth: no questions, this is more refreshing despite the ‘seasoning’ that’s a little too apparent to me. Pepper, oak spices, black tea, grass smoke… Nice earthy honey beyond these bitterish spices. Finish: medium, spicy, with an obvious tannicity. Comments: they seem to have used active seasoned wood too here, but the spices and the leather were better controlled in my opinion. But indeed I much prefer the brighter, distillate-driven HPs. Because what a distillate it is indeed! 83 points - whiskyfun.com