Highland Park - Northern Nectar

John Bruce on the virtues of Highland Park, the pride of the Orkney Islands

Highland Park has excelled in developing a range of malt expressions, many of which are not readily available in Hong Kong but I have sampled a number and I can honestly say that none disappoint and many are truly excellent. Perhaps my personal favourite is the 21-year-old which is produced solely for duty-free retailing and can be difficult to find. I have a half-full bottle (too good to be half-empty) in my cupboard and it is a remarkable expression that deserves the many awards that it has won. It has all of the core qualities of its younger sibling but has an added woodiness that comes from an emphasis on aging in bourbon rather than sherry casks, a more fruity palate and an immensely complex sweetness that lingers through a long finish.
The 21-year old is a maturing of Highland Park that brings a seasoning to the core malt whisky of the 12-year-old that it is entirely appropriate when talking of this heritage of the Vikings. They are from the same source but like the depicted half-brother relationship of Tony and Kirk in the 1958 film The Vikings, their similarity is not immediately obvious. I would recommend an in depth exploration of as many of the expressions of this Orkney legend, but unlike the legendary Curtis, I would say that when it comes to Highland Park, some like it cold.
 

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