Highland Park – 15 Year Old Viking Heart (44%)

Highland Park Viking Heart is a 15 year old single malt from Orkney, bottled at 44% and sold in a ceramic decanter made with Wade Ceramics of Stoke-on-Trent. The decanter is stamped with the lion and serpent motif, and a heart design on the back gives the whisky its name. Gordon Motion, the Master Whisky Maker, chose mainly European oak casks seasoned with sherry for warm, spicy notes and American oak sherry-seasoned casks for a softer vanilla balance, adding a few refill casks to soften the flavours. The 44% strength lets the fruit and the peat smoke show. The nose gives crème brûlée, heather honey and crumbled cinnamon, then pineapple with lemon zest, fresh sponge cake and toasted cinnamon, with citrus and vanilla lingering in waves of peat smoke.