Highland Park Introduces Frey & Dark Origins

Highland Park introduces two new expressions of its family, Highland Park once again demonstrated its refined expertise in making outstanding single malts that has earned it the title of “Best Spirit in the World” three times in the recent past. Two new spectacular expressions - Freya (being the third release in the acclaimed Valhalla Collection), and Dark Origins, a tribute to the covert life of Highland Park’s Founder was unveiled as a new core expression to the Highland Park series to Hong Kong last week.

These two exceptional new expressions inspired from great Nordic legends and the founder’s own intriguing history. Famed for her great beauty and often known as The Fair One, Freya is the patron and protector of the human race, and to whom souls travel to be renewed.  As a continuation of Highland Park’s Valhalla Collection, and with only 19,000 bottles available on a global scale, the unique whisky has taken the colourful and vivacious legend as inspiration, reflecting on the character and qualities of the Norse God in the whisky itself.

The shimmering gold 15 year old whisky offers a white chocolaty aroma with fresh tropical fruitiness, taking the intriguing allure and feisty personality into the entrancing single malt - full, rich and complex with a lingering beguiling finish from the gentle sweet smokiness Highland Park is known and loved for.

Dark Origins, meanwhile, is a tribute to the stunning, non-chill filtered single malt established in the late 1700s by founder Magnus Eunson, who worked as a spiritual provider in a church by day, and by night, distilled the exceptional whisky at a secret bunker in the hills of High Park in Orkney. The hand crafted whisky was created for the people of Orkney to offer them relief from the villainy of the tax collector, but it ultimately became the best spirit in the world by fully taking the cunning spirit and courageous personality of its founder with its rich, warm and enticing flavour. The hand crafted Dark Origins uses twice as many first fill sherry casks resulting in naturally darker, fuller flavour with sherried spice, a chocolate twist and the signature sweet smoke.

Highland Park’s arduous commitment to an unbroken tradition of whisky-making dates back to 1798.  With over two hundred years of history in whisky making, Highland Park is famed for its uncompromising dedication to combining traditional methods and top quality craftsmanship to produce outstanding single malts. As one of the few distilleries to malt its own barley by hand, Highland Park fuels the kilns with locally cut peat to dry the barley that create a unique smoky aroma known as ‘Peat Reek’ with hints of aromatic Orkney peat juxtaposed by the sweetness of oak casks seasoned with Oloroso sherry, which makes Highland Park’s palatable complexities inspire passion in single malt enthusiasts everywhere.

Tasting Notes:

Highland Park Freya 15 years old 51.2% abv

Colour:

The Fair One, golden.

Aroma: 

Almond and Madagascan vanilla shimmer in the distance like the Aurora Borealis.  White chocolate followed by candied cherries makes way for a vibrant wave of mango and melon, riding upon a cloud of cream soda.

Taste: 

The heart of this whisky shines like a jewel, surrounded by fragrant peat. Orange peel, butterscotch and rose petals provide the sweetness along with orange blossom and ginger.  Lively popping candy, lemongrass and tropical fruits are lightly shrouded in peat smoke.

Finish:

Complex and beautiful, yet balanced and considered like Freya herself, the finish gives lingering spice and soft peat smoke intertwined with soft orchard fruits, toasted coconut and a light char, providing a rounded depth and allowing this whisky to soar.

Highland Park Dark Origins 46.8% abv

Colour:

Rich mahogany      

Nose: 

Sherried spice and ripe bananas combine with toasted hazelnuts and baked apple 

Palate:

Well-balanced, dry peat at first mellowing out to maraschino cherries, warm dark chocolate entices the palate 

Finish:

Enduring sweet smoke

Gerry Tosh, Global Marketing Manager, commented: “Cask management is so very crucial to our work at Highland Park. We have strived to raise the bar, working tirelessly in sourcing the right wood and then working and finessing the balances to ensure we create single malt that is rich, warm and enticing in flavour.  Dark Origins sits in the heart of our core range complimenting them perfectly distinct in itself, but always and forever a classic Highland Park.”