According to a DNA study, about one third of the 20000 people who live on the spellbinding Orkney Islands north of the Scottish mainland are Viking descent. The Orkney Islands were ruled by the Vikings for more than 600 years before the islands became part of Scotland in 1468.
The Highland Park distillery is situated on a hill overlooking the town of Kirkwall, the largest town and capital of the Orkney Islands, and is the most northerly whisky distillery in Scotland. Magnus Eunson, who founded Highland Park in 1798, was one of the lineal descendants of the first Vikings who settled on Orkney. By day he worked in his local church, but in the cover of night he manufactured whisky illegally. In 1816 the distillery is taken over by John Robertson, the tax collector who had Eunson arrested.
What makes Highland Park unique?
- The unique peat on Orkney - no other distillery in the world use the aromatic and heathery peat from Hobbister Moor, which is said to obtain its unique character due to the fact that there aren't any trees on Orkney, which has a great impact on the quality of the soil.
- The casks - only the best and finest oak barrels are used to produce Highland Park. The Oloroso sherry casks used are about ten times more expensive than the bourbon casks commonly used in the industry.
- The climate - the special and windswept and temperate climate on the island is perfect for long maturation and a big part of the character that makes Highland Park so unique: sea salt meets heather honey and light smokiness.
- The use of traditional malting floors where they turn the barley by hand, a demanding and labor intensive process.
- The use of a technique called cask harmonization, which involves combining distillates of varying maturities in a cask to ensure consistency and balance (much like the Marrying Tun technique of Glenfiddich.)
The 12 and 18 year old expressions have long been favorite standards and safe bets as a daily dram due to their impressive consistency. This is the first time I try their 15 year old, so it will be interesting to see how it compares.
ABV: 40%
Age: 15yo
Region: Orkney
Cask type: 50/50 in ex-sherry and ex-bourbon casks
Price: Around 65 USD / 0.7L
Natural color
Appearence: Gold.
Nose: I'm greeted by a well-balanced aroma that's incredibly kind. There's nothing that stands out. Dark chocolate with orange and a touch of lemon. Some of the mandatory heather honey, but much less than in the 12 and 18 year old. The oakiness is absent despite 15 years on barrels. Overall a sweet, nice and a bit too gentle nose.
Palate: A bit more oaky and dry in the mouth, but still very gentle. A slight smokiness sneaks up after some airing and a few drops of water. Frightened in a corner there are some dried fruits. In the other corner some nice spices are hiding. No flavor wants to step forward and speak up.
Finish: The finish is surprisingly long with gentle and sweet smoke, a faint pepperiness from the oak and some raisins that slowly ebb away.
Conclusion: Great balance as always with Highland Park, and a pleasant dram indeed. It's however a shrug of the shoulders compared to the great 12 and 18 year old expressions (and remember that the 12 year old is much cheaper.) A bit too gentle and anonymous simply. With an ABV of 46% I would probably be a bit more generous, but as it is now I will give it 83 points out of 100. So save the money and stick with the 12yo as your everyday dram.
