LeeEvolved
Highland Park 18 Year Viking Pride
Single Malt — Islands, Scotland
Reviewed
November 13, 2018 (edited February 5, 2020)
It’s time to visit an old favorite of mine. One that’s been reimagined with the new Viking theme that HP has embraced: the 18 year. Starting in 2017, Highland Park subtitled their world class 18 year old malt with the Viking Pride monicker. I don’t necessarily see the need to do this with their whisky, but hey- if the sauce is just as good who really cares? New packaging aside- a heavily sculptured glass bottle will probably add some cost to the price point, though. Is this the same juice that garners near-perfect scores on countless whisky review websites around the globe? Lets find out...
The Viking Pride is still a beautiful, rich antique gold in color, it’s still oily and still makes large droplets and sparse, runny legs. It’s still bottled at 43%, it’s still yada yada yada. So far so good.
The nose is heavily honeyed, with orchard fruits, vanilla and light smoke. There’s a fine, salty line running across the nose that I’m not sure I detected before but the worn oak and peppercorn is still there if you give it the appropriate time (I would argue a whisky needs a minimum of 1 minute per year of age to rest and release in your Glencairn). Give it plenty of swirls, twirls or gentle shakes to expedite the process if you’re in a hurry, I guess.
The palate still brings the sweet peat and lightest BBQ smoke before coating the tongue with a wonderful, bitter dark chocolate wave. The mouthfeel is luscious although it does feel a bit lighter and more watered down than I recall from the older vintage. It’s not a deal breaker, and hell, I’ll freely admit it could be me just unconsciously trying to find something to dock points. So, take that comment with a grain of salt.
The finish is definitely weaker than the older vintage, though. The smoke and vanilla don’t seem to stick around like it used to. It’s still a medium length, heavy breather, however. The lingering sherry sweetness still brings a smile to my face.
Overall, this is still what you know and love from Highland Park. It’s delicious and satisfying- just like it’s predecessor. I guess if I gotta find a legitimate gripe- it’s price point. I had to pay about $20 more for this bottle than I do for the older vintage. This is also not considering the fact you can still find older bottlings collecting dust at some obscure stores and even online. So, with that in mind- I think I would recommend seeking those bottles out first, but don’t pass on a good deal if you can only get your hands on the Viking Pride. It’s still a classic, peated scotch. Thankfully, that hasn’t changed. 4.5 stars. Cheers, my friends.
117.0
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Bottle
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@LeeEvolved This sounds like a plan.
@LeeEvolved Count me in! I await your email to start planning.
@LeeEvolved I think @Generously_Paul is on to something. How do we monetize it for the founding members?
@Telex I just found those asking prices for the WhiskeyFest too high. I can probably sample a sip of at most 5-6, so that makes it close to $40/sip for me. To your point, I’d much rather spend that on an amazing dinner
@LeeEvolved I feel the beginnings of a new type of whiskey festival in the making. You can attend by invite only from the founding members, bottles are supplied by those attending and must meet the approval of the founders (founders bottle choice excluded because we know we’d bring the goods), no distilleries allowed unless providing the bottles WE want. Rules subject to change, no purchase necessary, Whisky On Fire, LLC is not responsible for injuries, illnesses, loss of life or property.
@LeeEvolved the problem this time was that distilleries only brought one bottle. Balvenie Tun was gone within half hour. The Bruichladdich Black Arts even faster. If I ever go to another, I’ll just go to meet with actual folks and share. For the few hours during the expo could be better spent on a nice dinner.
@Telex - so, did the distilleries live up to the bottles they promised to bring or was that another “if you read the fine print you’d see that we aren’t obligated to bring anything we said we would” moment? I still say @PBMichiganWolverine, @Richard-ModernDrinking, @Generously_Paul, @Scott_E, @Rick_M, you and I meet up in the Poconos and do a proper monster tasting. Hell, let’s meet up in that town that’s always on fire- whose name escapes me at the moment. Call it Whisky On Fire LIVE.
@PBMichiganWolverine It's nice traveling with kids you look at things through a different lens, have different experiences and relive things long forgotten. We took the kids on a southern USA road trip last year for a month... great times :-)
@Soba45 NZ is in our travel list in the upcoming 2-3 years. Kids will be a bit older and open to that long flight. Ages ago, I did the south isle, then over to Oz for Sydney, Uluru, and Cairns.
@PBMichiganWolverine Gees that's taking me back. I think I watched the first LOTR whilst on holiday in Australia whilst still a uni student!
@Richard-ModernDrinking ...and I thought I was pretty good in finding loopholes. ☺️
@PBMichiganWolverine So there’s no tariff if you just invite us over to help free up some of that storage space?
@Telex what happens in NYC stays in NYC...
@PBMichiganWolverine reminiscent of the DC expo trip, it wasn’t about the expo itself really. It was more about hanging out with fellow reviewers, a couple fans that had very very nice collections, and getting to hang out and ask John Glaser questions about making Compass Box. :). I’ve got stories, but best offline. :).
@Telex hey Jason, didn’t you go to Whiskyfest NYC? Thought I’d see some updates from you. I didn’t go, b/c any whiskey event carries a Home Tariff of 100% of the ticket price billed every hour I’m away that I could’ve spent with kids. $250, at about 3 hours...I’m looking at $1000!!
@AntonioSchmid @Soba45 NZ is gorgeous! I was there pre-LOTR days, as a young 20 yr old right out of undergrad. Amazing landscape
@Soba45 Great! Could be this or my third trip to Scotland... Tough call! If NZ wins I’ll let you know ;-)
@AntonioSchmid 2020 in early March most likely. Good time of year to come as weather is usually pretty stable :-)
@Soba45 When is the next one? As an extreme outdoor sports enthusiast and Lord of the Rings geek, NZ is a must go for me...
@AntonioSchmid Haha, sounds like it was a great time. I'm really hanging out for another event here in NZ but once every 2 years is all there is.
@Soba45 Ohh yes! That’s why I didn’t post any reviews from whisky live BA. (And the fact that I got completely wasted... 😱)
@AntonioSchmid Cheers :-). I see you are not to far away from a double century. Anything special planned?
@Soba45 - man, I really miss MoM not shipping to the US anymore. They have a great selection and good prices. I wish the US would relax liquor laws
@LeeEvolved Yeah I went through one of those not that long ago, been a long year. My last proper holiday break was last xmas! Gees I haven't drank that stuff for donkeys.. sounds like your living life at full pace! Next year I'm going to be a) taking a break mid next year and b) slowing down the tasting pace and relinquishing my most tastes title as no Dramfest and I'm rarely overnight near my most favorite bar in the world :-). Will still be chipping through the MoM samples though!
Just saw the awards... Congrats for all the gang! 👍🏼🥃
@Soba45 - thanks Soba. It’s not so much a retirement as it is a self-imposed exile. I’ve hit the wall a bit and needed a break. Work has been a little over demanding lately and I haven’t been able to sit down, unwind and contemplate while sipping on the good stuff. I rush home, Fireball shot, Fireball shot, shower and off to bed. Rinse and repeat.
Mate congrats on your awards. You're going to have to come out of retirement to defend your titles in 2019 :-)
What a perfect text, sir. Cheers!
@Scott_E - I think it’s purely perception at this point. Having just drank through this bottle over the last month or so, I kept getting a watery final feel to it. If I go looking back at my short notes from 2016 and my old style 18 I wrote that the finish felt oily, warm and lingering. That’s all I can go by unless I open my other bottle of 18 I have from 2016 and see if that’s the case. That’s why I said it may just be me trying to ding the new stuff for any old, small thing. Bottom line- they are both amazing, peated whiskies. End of story.
@cascode they’re really going overboard with this Viking crap. We get it...Vikings landed in Orkney. Acknowledge and move on.
@PBMichiganWolverine Yes, the old 18 year is being replaced with Viking Pride, but it still has an 18 year statement and as far as I know it's just a change of bottle design and the adoption of some "viking" marketing fluff. Whiskies vary so if there is a difference in the finish on this one it's probably just a batch thing that would have happened anyway.
@LeeEvolved I was curious how the new compares to the “old”. Why, do you think, the finish is weaker then the past? What would/could cause that? Casks, formula change? Just general environmental differences? Great review!
Has the old the original been discontinued? I think I saw a few here as well—-didn’t realize it was being replaced
There are still a few older bottles in my neck of the woods if you want me to pick one up for you. Though you might be able to find a better deal elsewhere