A dazzlingly flavorful and powerful Single Malt from Highland Park that’s peated and balanced.
Highland Park is the most northerly distillery in Scotland on the island of Orkney. Legend has it that it was founded by Whisky smuggler Magnus Eunson in the late 1700s and that he used his position as a church officer to conceal Whisky beneath the church pulpit. Don’t assume that “Highland Park” means their Whisky is made in the Highland style. In character, their spirit is closer to a midpoint between Lowland and Islay Single Malts. Perhaps the most famous Whiskey connoisseur of all time — journalist Michael Jackson — called Highland Park, “The greatest all-rounder in the world of Malt Whisky.”
Highland Park Valfather is the final release in the “Viking Legend” series. And it’s the most peated in the series as well and matured in refill casks which — according to the official statement — bring “a character as complex as Odin himself.” OK… but what you should care about is that this is a great example of Highland Park’s Single Malt craftsmanship with a strong, yet elegant flavor profile bottled at a dazzling 47% ABV. It’s powerful and peaty without running you down with shards of charcoal. And it stands out as a wholly different expression than what you might get from an Islay Spirit with more fruit and floral notes that balance the smoke wonderfully. Finally, there are no artificial colors or flavors, so we say it’s a solid winner… get some… right now by the gods!
Smartass corner:
“Valfather” refers to Odin — the chief deity of Norse mythology. The heaven-like after-life is famously known as “Valhalla,” which translates as “hall of the slain.” “Val-“ revers to those slain in noble battle. Thus, “Valfather” means “father to all who were slain in noble battle.”