The founder of Highland Park, Magnus Eunson, was a butcher and a church officer. He was also a notorious part-time whisky smuggler and illicit distiller. Legend has it he would hide barrels of whisky from excisemen under the pulpit.
Situated on the remote Orkney Islands, Highland Park is currently one of the northernmost distilleries in Scotland (just half a mile north of Scapa distillery, which is also located on the Orkney Islands). I’m not sure that Highland Park can actually lay claim to the title of northernmost whisky distillery anymore, as a distillery on the Shetland Islands (which lie about 50 miles to the north-east of Orkney), known primarily for producing gin, is now also beginning to try their hand at making some whisky.
One of the most distinctive hallmarks of whisky from Highland Park you’re likely to hear about is their use of local peat. Not all peat tastes the same. The specific smoky flavour you get from peat can vary by region, depending on the vegetation in the area the peat is harvested from. Peat from Islay, for example, is likely to come into contact with water and contain some decaying seaweed and mosses. This can produce a more maritime or medicinal smoky flavour. Peat from Orkney, however, is said to be rich in heather. This gives the whiskies from Highland Park a more fragrant, floral-tinged smoky flavour.
“Spirit of the Bear” was part of the 2018 Travel Exclusive Collection from Highland Park. It’s a non-age statement whisky. Two other whiskies featured in this collection are a 14-year-old “Loyalty of the Wolf”, and a 16-year-old “Wings of the Eagle” – all named for animals that have held a symbolic status for the Vikings.
And Highland Park often alludes to the Viking heritage of the Orkney Islands by incorporating Norse mythology into the naming and branding of its whiskies. In fact, the word berserk comes from the old Norse “berserkr”, and means something like bear shirt, or bear armour. Some have suggested that berserkers – warriors who fought with an imposing and frenzied fury in battle – wore the skins of bears (hence the name), and believed that they drew their power from the bear. The Spirit of the Bear pays homage to these myths and legends.
A more recent Travel Exclusive Collection has since been released by Highland Park. This collection is said to be inspired by the natural environment and climate of Orkney itself, and features a 14-year-old “Land of Orkney”, a 16-year-old “Sea of Orkney”, and an 18-year-old “Sky of Orkney”. You should be able to find them on your travels in duty-free stores around the world.
If you’re lucky, a few bottles of these more recent releases might somehow find their way into some local markets too. In spite of being a travel exclusive, some bottles of “Spirit of the Bear” managed to make their way into a few boutique whisky stores in my area. Moreover, until quite recently, it was still available for around $63 (a similar price to a bottle of Caol Ila 12). While it seems to now be out of stock in my neck of the woods, if one really wanted to track a bottle down, I’m sure there are still a few knocking about. “Spirit of the Bear” is bottled at 40% ABV, is natural colour, and sold in 1 litre bottles.
Spirit of the Bear – Review
Colour: Rich amber.
On the nose: Quite fruity. Notes of ripe honeydew melons, fresh pineapples and blueberries. Lashings of creamy vanilla ice cream. Very mild peat. There’s a distinctive spicy and peppery prickle in the background.
In the mouth: Soft and buttery in texture. Sweet, with more vanilla ice cream, and a little burnt caramel – perhaps Crème Brûlée. There’s a faintly smoky flavour that shifts into something resembling a slightly bitter, dark chocolate note more than anything very distinctively smoky. A hint of pepper.
A slightly drying finish. I found there was also a lingering floral and almost-synthetic blackcurrant note that was not to my liking.
Conclusion:
I personally found this whisky to be a little bit of a letdown. I’m not entirely sure why this was the case, so I’m happy to accept that this may simply be the result of the whisky not meeting some of my pre-conceived expectations. I ended up feeling just a little underwhelmed every time I sipped on this whisky. It’s not that it was bad, but I would have preferred (and I suppose I expected) the peaty flavours to be a little more pronounced. Additionally, the floral or blackcurrant note I detected did not appeal to me and was difficult to overlook.
That said, there are positives about this whisky. The vanilla creaminess and texture are enjoyable, and it also offers some interesting aromas and flavours. While I wouldn’t actively seek it out, I wouldn’t turn down a glass if offered – it’s just that it wouldn’t be my first choice.
I recall really enjoying Highland Park’s Valkyrie, which I tasted a couple of years ago – another non-age statement release that was similarly priced and which left a far better impression.
