Highland Park Magnus Whisky. My intro to Highland Park was actually an event celebrating the launch of this single malt entry-level whisky, where they brought along an actual Viking Ship and proudly celebrated their Orkney Viking heritage.

The whisky is lightly smoky from local Orcadian peat (which adds a different type of smokiness compared to Islay peat), aged in sherry oak casks, and is at a super affordable price point. It’s tasty on its own, and moreover a fantastic choice for cocktails when ya wanna step up from the blended scotches and also want some smoke without diving into a super smoky Islay whisky.

I’ll admit, I never paid much attention in history/geography classes in school, so it’s ironic that I’m now so interested in it through the lens of spirit and cocktail culture. How did political and cultural events (wars, colonization, societal beliefs) affect how people drank, and what they drank? This is ignorant on my part, but I’d never heard of Orkney, assumed Highland Park referred to the highlands region in Scotland, and had only ever associated Vikings with Norway and Scandinavia…

Orkney is a group of islands in the northern part of modern-day Scotland. The Norse started moving into the island around the 9th century as a strategic hold for invasions of mainland Scotland and the British holdings, and ruled the territories for about 600 years before giving it up to Scotland. During its history, Orkney developed its own cultural identity and traditions with its mix of settlers and indigenous inhabitants. As the oldest (late 1700s) and one of only two active distilleries operating in Orkney, I like to think a taste of Highland Park whiskies provides a gustative glimpse into Orkney tradition.