The Viking has landed. Here’s what you need to know about the Highland Park 15 Year Old Viking Heart:

• Highland Park is not known for its 15. The venerable whisky house is famous for its 12 Year Old Viking Honour and 18 Year Old Viking Pride — the trinity is now complete.

• For the Orkney based distillery, this will be a permanent 15 Year Old single malt Scotch whisky (read: not a “special edition”).

• The embossed ceramic bottle — a first for Highland Park — is created in partnership with renowned specialists UK based Wade Ceramics. It’s inspired by ancient earthenware vessels in which the whisky would have been stored a century or two ago at the distillery.
• Fun fact: Highland Park’s history is steeped in Viking lore, whose rugged warriors landed on its rugged coastlines many centuries ago.
• The landscape is treeless and desolate, which gives the whisky its independent and individual character.
• They call this magic A Wild Harmony.
• This 15 Year Old contains a high percentage of first-fill European oak sherry seasoned casks and first-fill American oak sherry seasoned casks. There’s also a small proportion of refill casks to imprint the Highland Park whisky DNA.
• Gordon Motion, Highland Park, Master Whisky Maker, said: “Our insistence on specially constructed sherry casks delivers a richness of flavour. Vanilla and citrus notes lead and combine with the unique fragrant peat and creamy mouthfeel synonymous with Highland Park.”
• How does it taste? Oddly enough, it has dry, spicy notes of cinnamon, pineapple, vanilla, crème brûlée, and lighter fruits like lemon and oranges. So, in essence, it tastes like…rum. No kidding.
• There is some light peat.
• Fun fact: Highland Park Distillery has been in Kirkwall, Orkney since 1798. It is, at 223 years, one of the ten oldest working distilleries in Scotland.

• The colour is a rich light gold and is 100 per cent natural.
• Fun fact: Highland Park is one of the few distilleries to still turn their malt by hand.
• The Viking Heart is bottled at 44% ABV, which gives it a heft like…rum. You’ll get the rum reference when you try it. (Try it.)
• You can join their Viking Inner Circle and be privy to new and exclusive releases.
• The whisky is priced at S$149 (after GST) and is available from 1855 The Bottle Shop, Oak Cellars (selected outlets), Asher BWS, Guild Collective and SimplyWhisky.sg.

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