Highland Park Loki

Oh man, I've long waited to try one of these very fancy Highland Park Bottles... Loki, the Norse god or demigod of trickery, deception, shapeshifting, and envy. Some even say he was the ruler of fire. The truth is that Loki's myth is a super interesting one, which I highly encourage you to read. He is the one who unleashes "Ragnarok" by tricking a blind god named Hod into killing the Light God Balder, Odin's brightest son, using a mistletoe. And Loki was punished for that by being tied to a rock, with a poisonous snake above his head that dripped venom onto Loki's face until he could escape. Then, the god of trickery made one last deception to keep Balder dead and not resurrected. But beware, this whisky might trick you into thinking that you're spending too much on a fancy bottle that doesn't deliver its promise of being a good dram. This is not the case, since this is an amazing single malt. Bottled at 48.7% ABV, deep copper color. On the nose, it is so "meaty." Bacon, glazed ham; it has the exact aroma of a Filet Mignon. Argentinian Fernet liquor. Meat. After a first sip, it "shapeshifted" into cocoa, chocolate, and maple syrup. The palate was very good. Scorched gooseberries and grapefruits. Peppery and acidic. Sherry has appeared. Coffee beans and dark chocolate. Aftertaste was just perfect. Sweet, sulfuric, and salty. Also acidic and earthy. Peat, sherry, salt, and pure "awesomeness." Super Long finish. Ginger. Overall, the bottle, which comes in a case called Skíðblaðnir (I dare you to pronounce that), is just marketing that does justice to an incredible dram. I believe this should be tasted by everyone to show the full capability of what Highland Park can truly do. A masterpiece, I loved it. It lost minimal points here and there, but my final score is 96 out of 100. Cheers!

The nose is subtly salty and peaty, with surprisingly delicate oak influence. Flavors of flowers, citrus, and pickled ginger emerge, but I detect no sherry cask influence at all. It lacks the richness of their 18-year-old, for example. Only the peated whisky cask contributes a slight complexity, but overall, it's much less peaty than any genuinely peated Islay. The medium-length finish leaves me somewhat wanting, with only a barely perceptible hint of dried white grapes. It's good, don't get me wrong, but far too expensive for what it is. I feel this batch is merely a shadow of the whisky it once was in its early years.

This is certainly the most heavily peated Highland Park available. It's also rich and sweet, quite like an older Talisker. The peated cask contributes lovely vanilla and caramel notes, which are harmonized by the dried fruit from the Sherry cask. An outstanding creation, 97 points

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