Highland Park Thor

There was one last expression of Highland Park's "Valhalla Collection" bottles that i haven't reviewed yet. But the time has come. This is the nordic god of Thunder, Thor. Nowadays, this mythical deity is best known for his appearances in Marvel Comics, but back in the vikings era, he was the most important god alongside Odin. He is often wields a hammer called Mjölnir (that does not look at all as the one in the Avengers movies), which was a powerful artifact forged by two dwarf blacksmiths. Well, this is a 16yo whisky, that comes in the most impressive decanter ever, with a wodden nordic boat. Bottled at 52.1%abv. On the nose, peaches and dried oranges. Heather, peat and lemon. Dates. Meringue sweets with peaches. After a first sip, the aroma changed into a super spicy bomb, with indian curry notes. More sips made the aroma sweeter, like creme brulèè. The palate is peaty and acid. Ashes and oranges. On the secomd sip the spices produced me again this feeling that reminded me of Indian food. The third sip was incredibly sweet, meringue. Aftertaste was a little short. Starts tropical, like Jamaican punch, some acidity. The second sip had a slightly longer finish. Peppery and salty. Overall, this was the most expensive expression out of the four (Loki, Odin & Freya are the others) but it is also the one i least liked. It is not a bad whisky at all, but it is not a super memorable one either. I believe this one is good but it lacks some "soul". My score for it is a honest 88 over 100.

Une barrique légèrement brûlée au nez, avec une touche de fumaison et de chocolat, dans la même famille d’arômes que le 18 ans finalement, mais en plus jeune et moins développé. Le profil de saveurs est quand même plus expressif, encore du chocolat noir et de la fumée, mais avec de l’orange et quelques herbes. Un profil complexe et rempli de nuances, mais peut-être un peu moins mémorable que ce à quoi je m’attendais. Bref, définitivement dans la même lignée que leur excellent 18 ans, mais un tantinet moins de profondeur en bout de ligne.

Intense fruit on the nose. On the palate, this tastes like older, classic Highland Park with lots of sherry influence and very light peat. Maybe not quite as full-bodied as I maybe expected from Thor. 95 points

Overall: Impressive presentation, interesting but somewhat beguiling nose that belies the strength displayed on the palate and finish, thank my wife for this gift! Color: Light amber Nose: Honey and leather, old paper, vanilla fudge, lemon butter, malt and wet wood, allspice, tart cherries, curry powder, hint of peat and smoke Body: Medium to full, mouth coating, clings to the glass and palate Taste: Sweet peat and spicy smoke explode, with spicy malt throughout, burning wax candles, drying towards the finish, great impact Finish: Long, soft smoke, drying oak notes and spice linger for quite some time with vanilla coming through