Highland Park 10 Year Viking Scars

I didn’t plan on starting here for this next distillery run… I think the first HP I had was the new (current) 18 some five or six years ago. Way before I knew what I was doing, even though I still don’t know what I’m doing now. I have since had the 12 (taste #86), the 25 (taste #51) and Valknut (taste #92; thank you @cascode). I have always been drawn to HP, I think a combination of excellent marketing and the unique heather laden peat have captured me. So, I decided I needed to do a deep dive on whatever I could get my hands on. Ten 30 ml tastings, a bottle of an Australian exclusive, and then tonight… an unexpected generous share from a newly broken bottle. The 15 and 18 to come next, but for tonight; 10. N: Very soft, delicate and inviting. A little toffee or honey lace the malty-biscuity background. Really quite sublime herbal smoke and dried fruit influence add a heap of character and interest. P: Slightly oily to every so slightly earthy. Perhaps a slightest touch thin but delivers really good flavours. A pear juice fullness carries everything and keeps things slightly refreshing against a little cereal and merest suggestion of time in sherry casks. In the mix we have a well balanced and maritime influenced smoke and glazed ham. Not complex but, delivers everything you want for this price point. Although saying that, I just found that floral touch of heathery peat, and it’s just great. F: Medium. Oily with a salty bite. Herbal and slightly menthol or minty on a deep breath. There is also a late and short-lived arrival of pepper. I was expecting this to be good, and I was not disappointed. There is no great complexity or mystery to this. It’s relatively young but old enough to not be rough or harsh. Perhaps the slightly earthy texture I found is a sign of the younger spirit, but it’s not a problem. There is less honey on the nose and palate than the 12 with a lesser spice profile and an absence of both chocolatey and citrus notes. But I don’t mind at all. What I wanted, HP floral-herbaceous smoke and a notion of BBQ meat (glazed ham in this case), was found. It may be bottom shelf HP, but i’d still be very happy to add it to all my shelves. To be honest I wouldn’t choose between the 10 and the 12. For all their similarity they are very different whiskies that showcase different elements of the HP maturation story. I can get behind both in equal measure. I may be over generous in my score here but the smoke profile elevates this slightly more than the next score down in my books. A great start to my coming HP journey. Also at

This is a newer, European release exclusive, 10 year expression from Highland Park...and, yes, it has the Viking-theme designation: Viking Scars. (Rolling eyes emoji). This stuff is also so exclusive that they had to shrink the bottles to 35cl to make sure there’s plenty for the crazy high demand. I assume it was also diluted to 40% to help stretch it, as well. The only good part of all this is that I landed a bottle for $18. Appearance-wise, it’s rich gold and really oily, with lots of runny legs and medium-sized, watery drops in the Glencairn tasting glass. The nose seems much closer to an ex-bourbon matured HP than their typical Oloroso sherry stuff. Apples, pears and orange wedges greet you almost immediately. There’s very little smoke, which has become more of the norm with HP recently. Oak tannins and heather round things out and there’s absolutely zero heat or ABV presence, but that’s no surprise really. The palate focuses a bit more on the sherry cask notes: raisins and fresh-pressed grapes mingle with some orange marmalade. It has an oily and warm mouthfeel with hints of salty peat and smoke on the very backend. It’s very thin and sweeter than I expected, since I figured the youthful age would hinder this one and create a more abrasive and maybe give it a new make vibe. But, that’s not really the case. It’s sweet and borderline one dimensional. The finish is short, but vibrant and slightly harsh. Sherry and orchard fruit linger again, but cause it to lean a bit too dessert-like for my tastes. Overall, I don’t know the real reason for this release. Small bottles tend to indicate something more limited, yet highly prized- and this certainly wouldn’t be considered prized. The diluted nature and 10 year age statement feel like they’re just trying to keep up with the Joneses. Oh, so and so has a 10yo release? We need to get in on that. Adding the Viking nameplate is an embarrassing move here, too. Everything about this screams mediocrity, so that’s the fitting score I will give it. 2.5 stars. The price is right, I guess, but I’m not bumping this score just for that. Just move along...even you HP fanboys, there’s nothing to see here. Cheers

Easy dram, not punchy at all, how ever its not at bad thing in this case it just means its a easy drinkable whisky and is rekamendable for many first timers as well. Nose: a little smoky, quiet hints of woody chips. body: light, easy to drink- perfekt as a evening or first timer drink. Taste: light evening smok, not too much neither too little, its enjoyable. Wood comes to my mind but its suttle, its there somewhere i think. Are there apple? Maybe maybe not, i dont care i just keep drinking this deligt body whisky for this enjoyabel evenin :D

Nez : chaleureux, poire, chocolat , terreau/pelouse grasse, noisette, légère vanille, tourbe légère et légèrement mentholé Palais : chaud et salé et chloré, fruits du verger, noisette et tourbe légère La finale est moyenne, fumée, mentholée et chocolatée avec une touche de noisette Une entrée facile pour les non-amateurs de whiskys tourbés. Manque légèrement de complexité mais c’est un bon whisky pour l’âge et le prix

Quite a strong alcohol hit at first taste. Sherry, orange peel and ginger are the first things you notice after the alcohol. As it develops, you pick up some light peat, salt and some lighter floral notes. It’s not a bad dram, but it does taste young and a little unrefined. Easy to drink, and worth a second visit.

Аромат: Изюм, мох с росой, косточка абрикоса мокрая, вишневый лист, мякоть сдобной булочки с маком, эвкалипт, замороженный красный чай, пуанта анорексички, фиалка и красная смородина. Вкус: дуб, шляпка мухомора, можевельник и кусочек торфа! Обволакивающий как смерть во сне. Молодой!