Heavenly Tipple
The latest outstanding bottling from Highland Park’s series that is named after Norse Gods was inspired by Odin, the most powerful of all in the pantheon of Norse gods. But in truth, the renowned Orkney distillery and single malt whisky brand has been operating on a different plane from everyone else for a while now—and consistently produces whiskies that represent a little slice of heaven, Valhalla or the paradise of your choice.
Highland Park was established in 1798 on Orkney, just off the north coast of Scotland, by local character Magnus Eunson, who was a churchman and butcher by day and a smuggler by night. The company has over the intervening two centuries perfected the art of whisky distilling. Originally, the company focused on making whiskies to be used in blends sold under other names; it emerged as a name in its own right in the late 1970s and has since become one of the most respected spirit brands in the world. Its range of premium aged expressions consistently win top international accolades and the affections of the most discerning drinkers. Not a drop of whisky is ever released under the Highland Park name that hasn’t been matured to perfection.
The Highland Park distillery, the northernmost distillery in Scotland, is situated just outside the Orcadian capital of Kirkwall. The Orkneys, continuously inhabited for more than 5,500 years, provide a suitably inspiring environment
Odin is the fourth and final bottling in Highland Park’s Valhalla Collection and will
be available in Hong Kong in November
for this most precious of spirits, its stunning, formidable scenery blending with both Celtic and Scandinavian cultural influences. Highland Park represents the spirit of these islands and sees itself as the custodian of the area’s whisky-making traditions. It rarely makes any changes to its production processes, unless such fine-tunings directly benefit the flavour of the whisky.
Many of those time-honoured processes are unique to Highland Park. The distillery is one of the few to hand-malt its own barley, using local peat mixed with heather, helping to give the whisky its succulent, aromatic, smoky character. Evenpaced, cool maturation adds smoothness, while the exclusive use of sherry-seasoned Spanish and American oak casks, in contrast to the bourbon barrels used by many others to make whiskies, brings extra richness and complexity to the party.
The resulting single malt whiskies come in an ever-growing range of premium bottlings. The original among them was the Highland Park 12 Year Old, which features rich, balanced malty tones with subtle floral smoke. Highland Park Dark Origins, inspired by Eunson’s rebellious