Highland Park
12-Year-Old First Fill Ex-Sherry European Oak Single Cask
65.2% | 700ml | $240

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Age: 12 years old
ABV: 65.2%
Source: Highland Park Distillery
Spirit: Single Cask Single Malt
Maturation: First-fill Ex-sherry European Oak
Cask No: 4601

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In Norse mythology, a warrior’s death signifies that he’s been summoned to Valhalla by Odin to feast on the flesh of a boar and drink liquor from the udder of a goat. We usually prefer glass but if it’s Highland Park we would make an exception.

The Orkney Islands sit on the cusp of the Arctic Circle and were settled by Vikings more than 1,000 years ago. Isolated and exposed to the elements these hardy souls had to work with nature to forge a living with their own bare hands. Not too different to how things are done today at Highland Park Distillery.

Few distilleries reference the impact of wind on their whisky. For Highland Park, the northernmost Scottish distillery, it’s a vital ingredient. You see they still cut their own peat, by hand, at Hobbister Moor about 10 kilometres from the distillery. With winds frequently whipping across the islands at speeds over one hundred miles an hour no tree can survive the onslaught. The rugged, low-lying heather that endures makes for rich and fragrant peat that produces an aromatic smokiness unlike anything else in the whisky world.

Highland Park uses 20% peated barley in its mash and is one of the few remaining distilleries that do their own floor maltings, turning the grain by hand every eight hours or so. This lighter, more aromatic peat produces a malt that can be enjoyed even by those who turn up their nose at an Islay peat monster.

The whisky we have selected exclusively for Barrel & Batch spent a few days shy of 13 years (when it’s ready, it’s ready) in a first-fill ex-sherry cask that contributes that dry sherry characteristic that balance beautifully with the lightly peated spirit.

Bottled at hearty cask strength of 65.2% ABV and deep autumnal russet to the eye the nose is resinous with toasted oak, sultana, cloves, pipe tobacco and aromatic peat. The palate is rich and spicy with dried fruit, cinnamon, nutmeg, oak and an old bonfire. Spice and woodiness linger to a long and satisfying finish.

Exclusive to Barrel & Batch Whisky Co-op

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