Valkyrie is the first in Highland Park's Viking Legend series in partnership with Danish designer Jim Lyngvild who can trace his lineage back to Viking times. It's made with approximately 50% fully peated stock (Highland Park's peated floor malt is usually mixed with unpeated malt that's bought in at a ratio of 1:4 before mashing), but of course with Highland Park this means Orcadian peat and classic heather smoke notes.
This edition offers a smokier Highland Park experience, but the smoke is still balanced. Highland Park Valkyrie received a score of 99 Points at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge, making it an "Extraordinary, Ultimate Recommendation".
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Chocolate and some nutmeg off the bat before the smoke develops, balanced by dried apricot, plum and, increasingly, zesty orange too.
Plump dried fruits are complimented by vanilla, dried apple and waves of smoke and wood spice.
Liquorice and more fruit too, plus a return of some chocolatey notes.
More pronounced smoke than you’d find in a regular Highland Park, as you'd expected, but it never threatens to dominate proceedings – this is no chimney of a dram, far from it. The smoke is always balanced.
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Having read some of the reviews it makes me chuckle at all the different tastes out there. So at the end of the day it all boils down too personal taste. Never mind all the fancy stuff do you like it yes or no will you buy another Bottle yea or no. Slainte.> YES I Will.
It’s drinkable, but not up to HPs normally high standards. Tastes very young (as another reviewer here noted) and just doesn’t have the depth, complexity, and refinement of usual HP. The peat has a rather sharp edge to it, and does not come across as particularly well balanced relative to the flavor of the rest of the malt. It’s okay, just not great. Of course the regular HP is so outstanding that with the bar set so high, this malt just suffers by comparison. Stick with the standard versions.
Recommended to me, and since I’ve enjoyed other HP expressions, decided to give this a try. A very complex nose - I got a sweet, dried fruit sensation with some apricot, green vegetables, and, of all things, dried beef! The palate had bittersweet chocolate, nuts, vanilla and a lot of wood. The finish was long, with wood and leather, and then the smoke hits you (very pleasantly!). After a few drops of water, citrus fruit and vanilla become more pronounced, and even more wood. Again, the smoke gets to you later. A very enjoyable dram indeed.
This is a young whisky with a slight metallic aroma on the bottom of the tongue. An alcoholic smell with it at first, but with a drop of water, the very particular Highland Park peat shows up. This is exactly what natural peat smells
I really enjoyed it, 4 stars cause of the priced based on Master Of Malt, 4,5 if it could be a little less pricey.
