Highland Park – Valknut

Valknut is a single malt from Highland Park on Orkney, the second release in the distillery's Viking Legend trilogy. It follows Valkyrie and, like that bottling, centres on the honourable death of the Viking warrior in battle. The name comes from the valknut, or Odin's knot, a symbol that recurs in Viking art. The nose is spicy at first, with toasted notes and oak, then smoke, pepper, cloves and liquorice. The palate is powerful, with cloves and aniseed, sweet vanilla, oak and light smoke. The finish is long, spicy and robust, well balanced, with a little smoke in the background.