Highland Park Senior Brand Ambassador Martin Markvardsen
Of the three expressions in Highland Park Viking Legend series, the second – Valknut – is my favourite. The word translates as “knot of those slain in battle”.
Valknut celebrates camaraderie, union of purpose, a shared destiny.
In 2019, Valknut won Double Gold in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Anthony Dias Blue, organiser of that competition, also inaugurated the first Singapore World Spirits Competition in 2019. I am their Tasting Director.
Valnut is bottled at 46.8% and uses a higher proportion of peated malt than Valkyrie (the first in the Viking Legend trio) but less than Valfather (the final expression in the series). It was matured in a combination of European and American casks that had been used to age Sherry, but also some American ex-bourbon casks.
The sherried sweetness is not ponderous but bright, lifted, and beguiling. There is a star anise aspect to the fruit. The vanillin is poised, not over the top. So too the peat which, when you swirl the glass, comes and goes like the Deep Purple song “Smoke on the Water”. Valknut is hard to put down once you have lifted the glass and spirit. Watch this short video of Highland Park Senior Brand Ambassador Martin Markvardsen sing its praises at www.highlandparkwhisky.com/en-us/valknut