Highland Park 16 Year Old (The Valhalla Collection)

The Highland Park Odin has probably been one of the most hotly anticipated whiskies to be launched during this year. But with all that excitement also comes the pressure to impress. Whether it did that or not was what I was hoping to find out.

This limited release from Highland Park was matured for 16 years in a first fill sherry casks and refill hogsheads before being bottled at 55.8% ABV.

Nose: The moment you bring the glass to your nose you know that the first fill sherry maturation has left a strong impression here with the rich sherry notes making their way up almost instantly. There is a lot of cinnamon spice, honey, dried fruits and a basket full of red berries that come through. There are hints of smoke too but I’d say that’s more in the background.

Palate: The palate begins really sweetly with lots of honey and is followed by a fairly decent dose of spice but thereafter everything gets charred. But charred in a really nice way I’d say, its like you can taste the charred wood from barrel along with some dark chocolaty notes and some nuts too.

Finish: This one has quite a long finish that leaves behind a Christmas cake kind of flavor lingering in your mouth along with the peaty notes that become a lot more unmistakable now. There’s also more of those red berries that make a final appearance along with some strong damp earthy tones. I must say this one had a really nice way to sign off!!

This Highland Park expression was a truly fitting finale to the whole ‘Valhalla’ series that began with the Thor and was followed by Loki and Freya. It was full of richness, just the right amount of intensity and was dark just like the impressive black packaging of the bottle that holds the spirit.

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