Highland Park 15 Year Viking Heart

I remember when i first tasted the 15yo Highland Park, a long gone expression, with the black and yellow label. It was fantastic. Years have passed and now another 15yo has arrived. This time a 44%abv, bottled in a ceramic decanter, that honours the ceramic jugs where whisky was held back in the 1800s. This is a new release called, Viking Heart. Pretty interesting thing. On the nose, burnt marshamllow; smoke and sown land, lemon peel and coffee. After a first sip, the aroma changed into a brie cheese, a horse stable and orange jam. It has a very clean note of a burnt pineapple, humidity and passion fruit. It really remind me of the milk that babies leave in the feeding bottle. Very complex. On the palate, i get notes of chocolate and milk. Super sweet, hazelnut, and Nutella. Marshmallows. Aftertaste is amazing. Burnt hay, recently cut grass and earthy. Iron, batteries, it is very maritime and salty. Oysters and sea notes. Quite a nice finish. Overall, this has lived to my good memories of what the original 15yo Highland Park from the 2000s was. A very nice, complex, full of flavor whisky, that is presented in quite a beautiful decanter. The palate it is very good, but it is the least amazing part, since the nose is beautiful and the Aftertaste is almost perfect. My score for it is 92 over 100.

I wanted one of the previous HP-15, but could not find one, so when this was released, I didn't twice about it. On the nose, there's peat, a little more present than I expected, but not too bad. I also got notes of citrus zest (lemon type), and maybe a little brine. The palate was nice, with more lemon zest notes, and choco notes (after a few swirls), is that right? a little bit towards the end, and the finish is long, with the peat lingering a little. I need to compare this with other HPs..

Nose: Maritime aromas of brine, shellfish and pebble beach lead the nose, backed by lemon zest, heather honey, apricot, grilled pineapple and a little sooty smoke. It’s a fresh, coastal nose given depth by honeyed sweet aromas and a subtle hint of oloroso sherry that contributes a balancing dry character. The nose gains depth over time but not great complexity, instead remaining fresh, crisp and coastal, but aromas of good oak cask do become obvious. Palate: Firm, sweet and gently spicy arrival centered on ginger, marmalade and dark chocolate-coated toffee. The smoke is definitely there but it is restrained at first, only building on subsequent tastes. Tropical and citrus fruit, mixed nuts, and a light hint of spice in the development. Like the nose the sherry cask contribution to the palate is very calm and controlled and the texture is delightfully creamy with good weight. Finish: Medium. Cocoa, coffee and a touch of sweet and briny smoke. A classic Highland Park nose that is reminiscent of the best aspects of the old 10 year expression but with more maturity and balance. The cask selection was very good and the oak has contributed a hidden strength of character to the profile. It is also perfect at the bottling strength of 44%. I did not add any water and I see no reason to do so. This is a very good whisky, and the best of the four Highland Park expressions I’ve tasted so far today. It starts out as a good but somewhat unassuming whisky but with time in the glass it grows in stature, and by the time the dram was finished I wished I could have poured myself another. Recommended. Tasted from a 30ml sample, bottle ordered. “Very Good” : 87/100 (4.25 stars)