Highland Park 12 Review

First impressions

Highland Park 12 is a single malt from Kirkwall on Orkney, bottled at 40% in the UK and matured mostly in sherry-seasoned European and American oak. Until recently it was sold as Viking Honour. Part of the barley is dried over peat cut on Orkney, which gives a softer, more heathery kind of smoke than you'll find on Islay.

This has become one of those bottles that seems to permanently live on the shelf. It's inexpensive, easy to drink and has just enough going on to keep things interesting. It works well as a casual pour when you're not paying too much attention, but it's also a good bottle to give someone who is just starting to explore whisky. It rarely disappoints, although it doesn't really surprise you either.

Nose

Light sweet malt comes through first, alongside lemon peel, some tropical fruit, a touch of slightly artificial vanilla and a little floral honey. Behind that initial sweetness there are a few more interesting notes, although you have to work a bit harder to find them. There's some toffee and chocolate, a slight salty coastal character, a bit of heather, candied almonds and black pepper. Running underneath it all is a very faint organic peatiness. It's subtle, but it does seem to sit in the background throughout.

There is also that slightly artificial, air-freshener-like character you sometimes get with mass-produced whisky. Overall, though, the nose is very light and easy-going.

Palate

Surprisingly fresh and tropical at first, almost like a mixed fruit juice, although the fruit is fairly vague and slightly artificial. There are some breakfast-like flavours as well, with sweet cereal, orange and cinnamon, herbal honey and a touch of watery coffee.

Dig a little deeper and you start to get more influence from the sherry casks. There's some chocolate, nuts, salted toffee and a little strawberry. A bit of pepper appears too, alongside a faint dirty peat note which I actually quite like. It's even softer than it was on the nose, but it is there if you look for it.

The biggest weakness is the texture. It's extremely thin and can feel almost watery.

Finish

Short and fairly weak. Caramel, salty biscuits, artificial vanilla and some vague fruitiness appear briefly, followed by faint bonfire smoke, a touch of earthy peat and some lemon peel. There are also a few less pleasant notes towards the end, mainly rubber and cheap sweets, which give away its more mass-produced character.

Verdict

This isn't a whisky I'd choose when I want something particularly complex or memorable, but I can understand why it keeps finding its way back onto the shelf. It's affordable, approachable and has enough variety in the flavour profile to make it interesting without ever becoming demanding.

The thin palate and short finish definitely hold it back, but as an easy everyday pour or something to introduce to a beginner, it does the job well.

If you're curious about smoke, it's one of the gentlest places to start, and our guide to lightly peated whisky covers where to go from here. For how peat actually works, see peated vs unpeated whisky.