HIGHLAND PARK TO RESUME ITS BAYREUTH FESTIVAL BOTTLINGS

HIGHLAND PARK: PROMINENT ORKNEY ISLANDS DISTILLERY
REMOTE, WILD AND WINDSWEPT

For over 220 years, Highland Park has smoked its barley over 4,000-year-old peat, hand-cut from Hobbister Moor, just 11 km from the distillery. Mo other distillery in the world uses peat like theirs, dense, heather-rich peat that burns slowly and with an astonishing intensity to create a complex floral aroma in their kilns. The origins of the intensely balanced, smoky sweetness found only in Highland Park.

Although wind-blasted, the climate is surprisingly temperate thanks to the Gulf Stream, with its lack of extremes (an average of 2°C in winter to an average of 16°C in summer). Definitively perfect for a long, even-paced whisky maturation in island warehouses. The barrels are safe from the wind-chill factor.

From the heathery Fogg layer down through the dense, compacted Yarphie to the ancient coal-like Moss, the core of their peat dates back 4,000 years. It is cut out, one shovel at a time and occasionally with a mechanical digger. Regardless, it’s still not easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is.

16 km from the northernmost reaches of the Scottish mainland lie the scattering of 70 or so islands which make up Orkney. They were settled in by Vikings over 1,000 years ago. To this day, only 20 are inhabited. Here the conditions are ruthless, elemental and tough for making a living. This beautiful yet isolated cluster of islands is pounded relentlessly by winds that frequently reach speeds of over 160 kph in the winter. No tree can survive such an onslaught, so the moorland peat is woodless but rich in fragrant heather, which produces the unique aromatic smokiness of their whisky. In Orkney, unrelenting winds make for unbelievable whiskies.

The distillery is perched atop high ground on the southern edge of Kirkwall, and stands watch over the town. As well as a collection of ancient stone buildings, they have 23 warehouses and 2 pagoda-topped kilns. Technically, the warehouses number up to 25… it just appears two have gone missing.

Highland Park has resumed its special editions of its single malt whisky in conjunction with the Richard Wagner Bayreuth Festival. Highland Park’s first expression was the Brünnhilde of 2019 which will be followed this year by its Erda. Originally planned for last year, its launch was postponed due to the global pandemic. The third and final edition of the trilogy will be seen next year, 2022.

COMBINING NORDIC AND GERMANIC MYTHS AND LEGENDS!

Why a collaboration between a German festival and the Scottish distillery Highland Park? Beam Suntory's press releases have all the answers. Under the tagline “Combining legends" it states that the partnership recognises the shared passion for Nordic legends as much as it values its heritage and craftsmanship. The ancestors of the Highland Park team are Vikings, who once settled in the home of the Scottish distillery, Orkney. Even today, the myths of the warriors lie behind new bottlings from Highland Park, as well as Brünnhilde. The eponymous figure from the epic "The Ring of the Nibelung" by the founder of the festival, Richard Wagner, served as an inspiration for the name of the new single cask bottling. The German composer often used Nordic and German mythical and legend sources for his masterful pieces of music.

THIS YEAR’S BOTTLINGS

Two Single Cask Bottlings: In the Ring of the Nibelungs, Erda is presented as the Goddess of Earth, the offspring of Brünnhilde and Wotan (speculation as to whether Wotan will follow Brünnhilde and Erda next year is rife). Erda appears in two of the four parts of Richard Wagner's Ring of the Nibelungs. On the one hand, she is the primordial mother who represents the matriarchy of her epoch; on the other, in Rheingold, she becomes the harbinger of the end of the rule of the gods and the previous world order. To express this diversity, they decided to use two different aromatic single casks: “Erda - Earth Mother“and “Erda - Sleeping Prophet.“

The two Highland Park Erda bottlings are presented in the familiar Highland Park Single Cask Whisky sackcloth bags and are available as of today, and as specified last time, exclusively through the Spirituals shop, the official commercial partner of the Bayreuth Festival.

Official Tasting Notes

Highland Park Erda - Earth Mother

Ex-sherry cask No. 6394, limited to 341 bottles
Distilled 2006, age: 13 years Alcohol content: 58.7 % ABV
Colour: naturally dark, autumnal golden brown
Nose: ginger cake, caramelised dates, dried spices, heather and peat notes Palate: spicy, sweet and smoky, with notes of nutmeg and cedarwood
Finish: long-lasting sweet and spicy notes

Highland Park Erda - Sleeping Prophet

Ex-sherry cask No. 6393, limited to 273 bottles
Distilled 2006, age: 13 years
Alcohol content: 58.7 % ABV
Colour: naturally light straw gold
Nose: delicate lavender, heather, peat, lemon peel and fresh vanilla pods
Palate: peat smoke, creamy vanilla and honey-sweet violets
Finish: gently lingering floral and peat notes