For a long time I have had a bit of a Grá for the Higland Park Brand. It is not typically found anywhere in Ireland, so I guess what is rare is wonderful, at least in my own head. The original HP18 was re branded a few years back to this new Viking Pride bottling and there is much opinion about what change has occurred to the liquid inside the bottle. The original bottling holds extremely high praise among whisky knowledgeable folk and as something that is getting increasingly rare these days so it has really peaked my interest in recent months.
I took a trip to Glasgow in January for not whisky related reasons, however being ever the opportunist I did find my way to the Pot Still Whisky Bar for a couple of hours. While there I made sure to ask for a couple of items that would never be found in a Dublin pub. Highland ark 18 (Old branding) was one of these, I’m Comfortable to say that I was mentally prepared for it to be a let down, How could it be as good as some of the reviews out there? Well It is, it was fantastic, hands down well deserving of all the praise written about it. I left satisfied that I got to try it while its still around.
So where am I going with this - Well it comes down to this new Viking Pride bottling. I guess maybe I had been a little bit vocal regarding the HP18 I had sampled in Glasgow and how much I had enjoyed it. Sure enough I was gifted this beautiful bottle a few months later. Not only a wonderfully thoughtful gift but also giving me the ability to see what the difference is, if any. Albeit its certainly not a side by side tasting but it also allows me to satisfy my own hubris in the knowledge I have had both old and new expressions.
So lets get down to it, Is this new bottling the same as the original? The short answer sadly is no. However I’ll come back to that. What it is, is a wonderful whisky, an honest expression of a hard working scotch, almost distilling down all of those subtle characteristics that you expect of a good Scottish whisky. Powerful yet smooth, a great depth that keeps you interested throughout, there is a nice bit of smoke included too, but quite unlike it’s Isle cousins you could not describe it as in any way overpowering, simply there to remind you where it comes from.
So its different, yes. What its lacking sadly, is that last 1-2% that would make it elite, that illusive intangible last little bit of depth. It’s this piece that enables the the original HP18 to transcend most others, to become not just an physical experience but an emotional one also. Sadly that’s not found here. That isn’t to take away from the quality of what is on offer though, It validates it’s price point, its is complex deep and wonderful. But it leaves one thinking should it be branded in its own right, rather than having to always be compared.
