Highland Park 12
Viking Honour
Single malt scotch whisky
Age:  12 years
Abv:  43%

Right off the bat I have to say how much I love the Viking theme – these new(ish) Highland Park bottles are works of art, full of raised scrollwork and a seriously solid and artistic feel to them. I also love the corks – they have a small groove on the mouth of the bottle that the cap twists into and secures the cork in the bottle – nice! I didn’t even notice it on my first Highland Park bottle, but now that I am aware of it, I look for it. And, I’ve found the same system on other bottles! 

Bottle Notes 
“Natural color, Heather honey sweetness, rich fruit cake, aromatic smoky peat.“

Nose
Light vegetal peat, even lighter wispy smoke.  Fresh fields, with the occasional wet boggy patch that kicks out that vegetal peat. Hints of sweet berries. 

As the dram continues, the peat and light smoke holds strong – much more so than I recall from previous drams. It is assertive, and establishes itself as the character of this dram tonight. There is an accompanying sweetness that never quite fades away, but only raises its hand now and then. I can’t quite place the source of the sweetness, but berries come to mind. Light raspberry maybe, or some other. 

Palate
Smoke and spirit! Kind of strong in fact, on first sip. Mmm, but a nice oily coating that holds lingering remnants of the smoke and peat and sweetness. 

Goodness, I am loving this smoke and peat on the palate. Even later in the dram, it is holding up, if not growing in strength. The sweetness (honey?) asserts itself more as the dram progresses – still background to the peat but definitely a strong supporting character. 

Finish
Long, that oily coating keeps the memory alive, and I taste light smoke, and sweetness, for a lengthy, lingering finish. 

Seriously, lovely finish. Strong at the start, gentle fade, lasts a solid 30-60 seconds. A warm, cozy mouthfeel that sticks around. 

Final Thoughts
This is a darn fine whisky. There is a light smokiness that marries with the vegetal peat perfectly – I can picture myself burning a slab of peat out on the fens. I wasn’t able to pinpoint the fruit sweetness tonight, but it accents the core of the dram consistently, and noticeably. The finish tonight was a mouth-coated journey that trailed the core experience of the nose and palate in a very complimentary way. The whole journey was complete, and enjoyable. 

I do like having an HP on the shelf – the bottle alone is such a striking piece. It has become a whisky that I enjoy on occasion, and I was happy to finally sit with it and fully explore its offering.