27 March 2020.
A bit of history (those who are familiar with it can skip this part)
Legend has it that a certain Magnus Eunson, a Viking descendant, preacher by day and smuggler by night, founded the Highland Park distillery in 1798. According to the facts, Robert Borwick obtained a licence to operate the same distillery in 1826. Between the two, it has been established that the Orkney archipelago was a hotbed of alcohol smuggling in the 18th century, and the Mayor of Kirkwall, the capital, was himself known to be a notorious one. We can therefore assume that the distillery existed long before it obtained its licence.
Located at the same latitude as Alaska, Highland Park is closer to Oslo than to London, so it has a special climate which means that there is little to do there other than make whisky for at least 6 months of the year.
In 1895, James Grant, owner of Glenlivet, acquired the distillery and three years later extended it by adding two stills, bringing the total to 4, which is the current number. In 1937, the Highland Distillers group bought the site, and was itself bought jointly by The Erdington Group and William Grant & Sons in 1999. In the meantime, the distillery had been producing single malts since 1979, and opened its Visitor's Centre in 1986.
Today, the distillery produces 2.5 million litres a year, most of which is devoted to single malts. The rest goes into The Famous Grouse blended whisky. The distillery has kept its own malting area, which supplies malted barley for a fifth of its production, with the rest coming from the Tamdhu distillery. Above all, it uses its own peat, which it finds on nearby Hobbister Moor.
Despite its industrial-scale production, the distillery does not seem to have really changed its production methods; it has been able to evolve without abandoning its heritage. It wasn't until 2012 that it launched a marketing campaign inspired by Viking culture with the Valhalla limited range. This marketing campaign continues with the recent launch of 15 yo Viking Heart. The current Master Whisky Maker, Gordon Motion, doesn't seem to want to change anything.
Located at the same latitude as Alaska, Highland Park is closer to Oslo than to London, so it has a special climate which means that there is little to do there other than make whisky for at least 6 months of the year.
In 1895, James Grant, owner of Glenlivet, acquired the distillery and three years later extended it by adding two stills, bringing the total to 4, which is the current number. In 1937, the Highland Distillers group bought the site, and was itself bought jointly by The Erdington Group and William Grant & Sons in 1999. In the meantime, the distillery had been producing single malts since 1979, and opened its Visitor's Centre in 1986.
Today, the distillery produces 2.5 million litres a year, most of which is devoted to single malts. The rest goes into The Famous Grouse blended whisky. The distillery has kept its own malting area, which supplies malted barley for a fifth of its production, with the rest coming from the Tamdhu distillery. Above all, it uses its own peat, which it finds on nearby Hobbister Moor.
Despite its industrial-scale production, the distillery does not seem to have really changed its production methods; it has been able to evolve without abandoning its heritage. It wasn't until 2012 that it launched a marketing campaign inspired by Viking culture with the Valhalla limited range. This marketing campaign continues with the recent launch of 15 yo Viking Heart. The current Master Whisky Maker, Gordon Motion, doesn't seem to want to change anything.
The Line Up Projetc
Along with Tobermory and Talisker, Highland Park is one of those island distilleries that intrigues me. I want to go further with it, get to know it better, define its profile and trends. Most of this Line Up will be devoted to official bottlings, which are generally criticised in the whisky world. Is this justified? We often hear about the distillery's rather ridiculous marketing, the Viking-inspired names on the bottles, etc. Is that what's being criticised, or the poor quality of the juice? It's one of those things you just have to see for yourself...
The Tasting
Highland Park 10 yo Viking Scars : Quite a lot of peat, though. Pleasant, fairly sweet nose, vanilla, lemon peel, a bit of orange. Earthy and a medicinal touch. On the palate, it's a little watery but not unpleasant, balanced, still citrus and vanilla. The finish is a little short, however. Score: 82
Highland Park 12 yo Viking Honour : The nose is more subtle, with honey, a bit of sweetness, like smarties. And still a little peat, vanilla and lemon. Some exotic fruit perhaps. Quite oily and vanilla on the palate, with a hint of pepper and spices. Woody and fairly mature. Again, the finish is light, with a touch of hazelnut and lemon. Score : 84
Highland Park 18 yo Viking Pride : Satin nose. Peat and smoke are discreet but very present. Subtle balance between vanilla and lemon, with a certain amplitude. And the exotic fruits are more present, passion fruit, kumquat. Perhaps a bit of grapefruit. A slight medicinal touch, like white lime. On the palate, it's still a little light, but very soft, very smooth, lemon and vanilla of course, spices, honey, a few hints of white wine. The finish is juicy, powerful and long. Ripe Granny Smith apple in retro-olfaction. Score: 87
Highland Park Einar : Smoked lemon, vanilla. Less exotic fruits. The nose is more basic, going for the essential. More powerful, more intense too. The medicinal touch is more present and supports the whole. On the palate, it's fuller-bodied, well-structured, with a hint of lemon wood. The finish is also quite strong. Score : 84
Orkney Islands 2002 Berry Bros. & Rudd : The nose is really very good, at once sweet, fruity, slightly acidic, very smoky, and of course bursting with sherry. You can feel maturity, wood is present and gives a good solidity to the whole. The balance is perfect. On the palate, it's a little light, but you can recognise the lemony sweetness of Highland Park, with a few spices. The finish, on the other hand, is explosive and very long, a little carbonated, with a hint of vanilla and icing sugar. Score: 91
What I gain from it
- First of all, Highland Park is a good distillery. The distillate is complex, with exotic fruits, honey and heather, with a light peat and some marine scents. Very nice. It has great potential.
- Yes, but this potential is partly spoiled by a number of regrettable elements: the low alcohol content at 40°, the cold filtration and, for my taste, the slightly too pervasive influence of Bourbon. All of this erases the distillery's hallmarks and detracts from its merits. It's a real shame, and I have to say that the design of the bottles completes this bad impression.
- The price doesn't help matters either. For what it is, the 18-year-old is far too expensive. The recent Viking Heart 15-year-old, sold for nearly 100 euros, with its ceramic bottle, does nothing to help. We don't dare go for the new editions, given how much they cost. This is not the kind of distillery you invest in, as the risk of disappointment is too great.
- On the other hand, the independent bottling I tasted was absolutely magical. It's a world away from the official ones. This is where you can see all the things the distillery could do, but unfortunately it does so with limited editions, which are not always easy to get hold of.
Conclusion
I regret to say that it would be better to steer clear of the distillery's original bottlings. The value for money is not there, the whole is too shy, too diluted, too commercial to satisfy the true connoisseur. It's all the sadder because there is so much potential here. What's more, there are so many bottlings, limited editions and the like, that it's hard to know which way to turn.
The consolation prize is that, if you look hard enough, you can find what you're looking for in a few independent bottlings. In this respect, I totally agree with the experts.
Maybe in a few decades, or even a few years, we'll be surprised to see what Highland Park is really worth. With the new cask strength bottlings, I can already see something reassuring.
The consolation prize is that, if you look hard enough, you can find what you're looking for in a few independent bottlings. In this respect, I totally agree with the experts.
Maybe in a few decades, or even a few years, we'll be surprised to see what Highland Park is really worth. With the new cask strength bottlings, I can already see something reassuring.
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