![]() Lots of people point to the Glendronach 18yo Allardice as a comparably priced Sherry-rich heavy hitter, and that’s also in the same ball park as Aberlour, if Sherry is your thing. Equally there are some players heading towards the £120+region for their 18yo. If you’re just after the age statement but don’t want to stretch the purse strings that far then some of the big scotch names ( Glenfiddich and Glenlivet to name just two) will be there for you in the £65-80 region, along with the more readily available Diageo malts and some other less famous names. Sure, there are other 18 year old single malts out there for less than the HP18’s asking price of £100-110 currently. Whether or not this 18yo is value for money is a different and complicated question. In this 18yo, I have found a firm favourite that I will keep returning, if/when I am able to. By the same hand though, old whisky is old whisky. Having had the higher ages that HP have to offer on that hallowed trip (see notes here) however I can appreciate that this 18yo does lack a bit of ‘heft’ when compared to those older expressions and that may be the character that the old HP18 standard may once have had. Having made the pilgrimage to Kirkwall, I am lucky enough to know what treasure lie amongst this 18yo’s older brethren. It was one of the first whisky names that I really got into when I started to enjoy whisky more than just a means to a staggering end, and I’ve maintained a keen following since. If this is true – and sadly I only have a distant, fond and fuzzy memory of my first HP18 – then that must have been some pretty bloody amazing scotch because this is still pretty great stuff as far as these tastebuds are concerned. Many people have put this new 18yo down, saying its not up to the age statement’s former glory. You can’t really read about this malt of late without finding comparisons between the old style and the new style bottling. Those warm baking spices only seemed slight on the nose, then they started to amp up in the mouth and they just continue to grow as the liquid slips on down.ĭelicious. The oak spice and alcohol strength only really come into their own on the finale here. Finally, the oak and ABV give a hot cinnamon and peppery heat. A late sharp and slightly bitter combo of coffee beans and clove spice seems to pick up at the end and then those familiar Sherry influenced winter spices gradually warm up and release a festive foray of ginger, nutmeg and more clove. Coming back to the fruits and a big juicy raisin taste fills the back of the mouth and those cherries from the nose seem to reappear too. That chocolate note from the nose is there again, which, merging that note with the honey flavour also brings a Cadbury’s Crunchie to mind. ![]() A couple more sips and I’d add stewed orchard fruits to the mix too. It’s a sweet, fruity and buttery concoction. There’s a good supporting backbone of oak and smoke, that you’d expect from a whisky of this age and from the classic HP spirit’s heathery peat smoke origins.Ĭandied orange and honey soaked apricots are the first sensations that hit the lips. Make that a cherry bakewell flavour courtesy of a good dose of baking spices: cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. It’s not all about the dried fruit here though as the freshness of red fruits/berries (strawberries and raspberries) and maybe even cherries emerge. Then the fruitiness starts to unfold with nice juicy raisins and papaya. Dark chocolate, golden syrup and treacle flavours arrive at first. I’ve been waiting to get my hands on my own bottle of this for some time, and so, with a firm favourite and some, ahem, Viking Pride at stake, here we go… Viking Pride – Warrior SkyĪ wealth of rich, deep and sweet flavours billow from the glass. Highland Park have maintained that it is the same liquid / recipe in these remaining classic age statements, and so we find ourselves looking at the eldest of the core range aged siblings, featuring HP spirit that has been predominantly matured in first-fill sherry seasoned European and American oak casks, aged for at least 18 years, and then married together and captured here at 43% ABV. These whiskies each appear in the main core range available from the distillers, along with frequent new and limited releases peppering the roster. With that rebrand, as if the word Viking hadn’t appeared enough in this intro yet: the 10 year old became Viking Scars the landmark 12 year old became Viking Honour the 15 year old was dropped from the roster (presumably sent off the coast of Kirkwall in a burning Viking longboat) and the 18 year old became Viking Pride. The chunky, rectangular bottles were replaced with a new bottom-heavy curved design, laden with embossed markings inspired by the Viking carvings at Orkney’s Urnes Stave Church and assorted Viking paraphernalia. ![]() In 2017, the good folk at Highland Park really doubled down on promoting their Viking roots as part of their Orcadian history.
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