Highland Park 18 yr Whiskey 750ml

Highland Park Distillery sits on Orkney, off Scotland's northern coast, an island long shaped by Norse settlement, a heritage the distillery leans into throughout its branding. Introduced in 1997, the 18 Year Old earned wide acclaim early on and remains part of the core range today. In 2017 the whiskey was renamed Viking Pride and given new packaging inspired by the carved wooden panels of Norway's Urnes Stave Church, though the distillery has maintained that the liquid inside is unchanged.

The whiskey is distilled from malt lightly peated with local Hobbister Moor peat, a hallmark of the Highland Park style, then matured predominantly in sherry-seasoned European oak casks. This combination of gentle peat and sherry influence is unusual among Scotch producers, most of which lean heavily toward one or the other. Viking Pride is bottled at 43% ABV.

The nose offers sweet smoke, ripe fruit, dried flowers, and heather honey, with mature oak underneath. On the palate, creamy toffee and stewed fruit meet cinnamon, allspice, and a touch of espresso, while the long finish brings lingering smoke and a peppery edge.