Highland Park 15 Years Viking Heart
The 15 Years Viking Heart is supposed to fill the gap of the standard bottlings between the 12 Years and the 18 Years Highland Park and thus expand the range of the distillery from the Orkney Islands. Unfortunately, we are not entirely convinced.The topic of Vikings as a marketing tool is certainly debatable, especially since the Vikings certainly did not produce whisky in their 500 years on Orkney. Nevertheless, the legends and symbols of the Nordic people always lend themselves to an exciting all-round marketing package.The ceramic bottle is of course an eye-catcher on the shelf and feels very good. The well-known lion and snake pattern as well as a heart are embossed on the bottle. The reason for the choice of the bottle is commitment to the environment, as well as the storage of Whiksy in stone vessels, as was the rule 200 years ago - back to the roots combined with the idea of sustainability, which shapes our future. We like that.
The panel
Mean 69.0 · spread 0
Value for money 1/5
- Distillery
- Highland Park
- Type
- Single Malt
- Region
- Orkney
- Country
- Scotland
- Age
- 15 years
- Strength
- 44% ABV
- Character
- spicy
Tasting
Nose
We first perceive intense cold smoke, which slowly fades away. After a few minutes in the glass, we smell fruity aromas, partly sweet, partly sour. It reminds us of grapefruit. In between, we have a slightly sandy, slightly dusty feeling in the nose. We can't quite put our finger on it.
Palate
Starting out fruity and tart and reminiscent of lemons and limes, brown sugar and vanilla sugar quickly take over. And that's it.
Finish
Medium-long and spicy, the 15 years takes us on a finish that is initially very salty and tangy, but is later strongly dominated by toasted oak.
Verdicts
Marcel
The Highland Park 15 Year Viking Heart is a whisky that looks nice but unfortunately remains too tame in the glass – it simply lacks the fire of a true characterful spirit. For just under 100 euros, I would have expected more boldness and some rough edges that really take me on a journey. It's a pity, because the smoky approach and fruity nuances had much more potential.
Sascha
The Viking Heart presents an insufficient balance between smoky and fruity elements, which makes the overall impression feel somewhat uneven. The structure is clear, but it lacks the complexity and depth to justify the price of around 100 euros. A whisky that is neither rounded nor distinctive – more solid than convincing.
What it is worth
We do not yet hold bottle-level auction results — that sits behind Whisky Hunter’s authenticated feed. What follows is the market for Highland Park as a whole, which sets the weather for this bottling without pricing it.
Latest mean bid £192 across 598 lots · 2024-08