Highland Park 15 Year Viking Heart

Continuing my Highland Park journey, we come to the newly released 15-year-old. This bottle received significant marketing from HP, featuring a redesigned ceramic vessel and numerous 'visual tasting' advertisements on social media. Considering how exceptional the 10 and 12-year-olds are, I have very high hopes tonight as I pour a measure of this visually appealing spirit. Nose: Mild and oily with a delicate presence. Soft brown sugar is upfront and immediately inviting. As the brown sugar envelops, I detect orange oil and a tiny spice note, like clove or cinnamon. Dried apricot and the most beautifully soft cushion of floral, heathery smoke are wonderful. The longer I let this sit and breathe, and the deeper I inhale, the more I can discern a slightly figgy to raisin fruit note, undoubtedly imparted by the sherry cask aging. Time in the glass intensifies everything and demands more attention before the first sip. Palate: A smoky and sooty arrival with a mouth-filling presence. Heathery and slightly briny smoke permeates, giving way to dark (but not bitter) cocoa, dark toffee, and a suggestion of vanilla, along with a thick, dark marmalade and candied ginger. A slightly nutty-creamy development accompanies building smoke that reaches BBQ burnt end appeal. Sherry fruit and sweetness are present but not dominant; they act as the backing trio, keeping the harmonies flowing. Lovely stuff. However, it's the smoke and chocolatey marmalade that draw me back in. Finish: Medium-long. Creamy cocoa, delicate spice notes, and lingering embers. This might exceed my expectations and live up to the marketing hype. The additional age over the 10 and 12 has taken the sugars and dark fruits from the sherry cask and transformed them into dark toffee and cocoa. The supporting marmalade notes are wonderful, and with the smoke on the nose carrying through to the palate, we achieve a lovely maturity and balance without getting lost in complexity. I'm wondering if this might be a sweet spot for Highland Park spirit aging. Looking back at my rating for the 25-year-old, I don't see a huge improvement from this point. I'm very excited for the 18-year-old, though. [Pictured here on Boxing Day with a Christmas Tree colored 450 million-year-old eclogite. This rock is from the Western Gneiss Region of Norway; a Viking heartland, you might say. It represents the metamorphism of oceanic crust at around 50 km depth that occurred during the Caledonian Orogeny, which built mountains across Scandinavia and Scotland.] Whisky taste #133 HP Running ranking (mostly for my benefit): 10: 3.75 12: 4 15: 4.25 25: 4.75 Valknut: 4.25

The aroma offers sea-inspired scents of salt, shellfish, and beach pebbles, complemented by lemon zest, heather honey, apricot, grilled pineapple, and a hint of smoky ash. It's a vibrant, coastal nose deepened by sweet, honeyed notes and a subtle touch of oloroso sherry that adds a balancing dryness. The scent gains richness over time but not significant complexity, maintaining its fresh, crisp, and coastal character, though definite notes of good oak cask emerge. Palate: A firm, sweet, and mildly spiced entry featuring ginger, marmalade, and dark chocolate-covered toffee. The smoke is present but subtle initially, intensifying with subsequent sips. Tropical and citrus fruits, mixed nuts, and a mild spice develop. Similar to the nose, the sherry cask influence is very subdued and controlled, and the texture is wonderfully creamy with good substance. Finish: Medium. Notes of cocoa, coffee, and a hint of sweet and salty smoke. A characteristic Highland Park aroma, recalling the best qualities of the older 10 year bottling but with enhanced maturity and harmony. The cask selection was excellent, with the oak imparting a subtle strength to the profile. It is also ideal at its bottling strength of 44%. I found no need to add water. This is an exceptional whisky, superior to the other three Highland Park expressions I sampled today. It begins as a good but rather understated spirit, yet it improves significantly as it sits in the glass, leaving me wishing for another pour by the end of the dram. Recommended. Tasted from a 30ml sample, bottle acquired. “Very Good”: 87/100 (4.25 stars)

I recall my initial encounter with the 15yo Highland Park, an older bottling with a black and yellow label that is no longer available. It was magnificent. Years have passed, and a new 15yo has emerged. This one, bottled at 44% ABV in a ceramic decanter that pays homage to the ceramic jugs used for whisky storage in the 1800s, is a new release named Viking Heart. Quite an interesting item. On the nose, expect burnt marshmallow, smoke, sown land, lemon zest, and coffee. After the first taste, the aroma shifted to brie cheese, a horse stable, and orange jam. It presents a very clean note of burnt pineapple, humidity, and passion fruit. It strongly evokes the residual milk in a baby's bottle. Very intricate. On the palate, I detect notes of chocolate and milk. Extremely sweet, with hazelnut and Nutella. Marshmallows. The finish is astounding. Burnt hay, freshly cut grass, and earthiness. Iron, batteries; it's very maritime and salty. Oysters and sea notes. A rather pleasant conclusion. Overall, this has lived up to my fond recollections of the original 15yo Highland Park from the 2000s. A very good, intricate, flavor-packed whisky presented in a beautiful decanter. The palate is quite good, but it's the least remarkable aspect, as the nose is lovely and the finish is nearly perfect. My rating is 92 out of 100.

I'm a big fan of HP, especially the 18 year old, so I was quite pleased to see this. The white bottle's appearance is particularly appealing. Let's get started! Nose: Delightful and rich. Abundant honey, with some citrus notes like lemon and grapefruit subtly present. Just a whisper of leather and sea salt. I'm not picking up much peat or smoke on the nose. It's interesting that there's also a sweet spice, reminiscent of sassafras. Palate: Exceptionally smooth with a wonderful creamy texture. I'll need to spend more time with this one to fully understand its profile... Vanilla, honey, dark chocolate, and some spice, specifically black pepper. Sea salt and smoke begin to emerge, true to the HP character. Tannins lightly tease the sides of my tongue, urging me to focus on the finish. Finish: Long and substantial. Pleasant mild bitter smoke with a lingering tingle on the sides of the tongue. The honey sweetness also remains, providing an excellent balance to the overall taste. In conclusion, this is an outstanding whisky. I did a brief tasting a couple of weeks ago against HP 18, and while it's not quite as good, it's still absolutely amazing, especially given the price. Definitely worth buying a bottle.

A rich, malty, and spicy aroma greets the senses. Peat is immediately apparent but not overwhelming, simply present and agreeable. Notes of sweet grass, baking spices, vanilla sponge cake, toasted birch, a hint of toffee, and orange marmalade follow. The palate is sweet and spicy, yet not overly potent. It begins with significant malty sweetness, akin to golden syrup, then transitions to mid-palate notes of pepper, allspice, and cinnamon stick. Fruit and peat notes then emerge, featuring sour oranges, a touch of lemon, a suggestion of pineapple, and clean, grassy peat. The body is pleasant and full, coating without being heavy. The legs are thin and dissipate quickly, leaving behind receding streaks that eventually form a substantial dew in the glass. The finish is soft, medium in length, and pleasant, with notes of rich sherry-infused oak, subtle vanilla, and a wisp of smoke over a honey base. This "Viking Heart" is well-balanced and thoroughly enjoyable, having captured my own. Nose: 10 Taste: 9 Body: 8 Finish: 10

Bottled at 44% ABV, chill filtered, with natural color. Nose: Subtle peat, heather, butterscotch, crème brûlée, and pineapple. Palate: Vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon, and the characteristic Highland Park honeyed heather peat. Finish: Medium-short with hints of lemon zest, spices, and gentle smoke. This Highland Park deviates from the typical profile; it's lighter and less reminiscent of Christmas cake. It's sweet, medium-bodied, and leans more towards a vanilla sponge cake character. It's a solid whisky, but not exceptional. It seems to hold itself back, much like a talented athlete underperforming. The Cask Strength, batch 4, tasted alongside this, is a superior whisky at a lower cost. Considering the price, this 15-year-old is more than double the cost of the 12-year-old, which provides significantly better value. While good, the expense makes the "juice not worth the squeeze."