Overall, I think, contemporary HPs would get a better rep if they were all bottled at 46%. Being bottled at 40% mutes the different layers and all-roundedness HP has. I do wish more drinkers would call out Edrington so they’d improve the quality of their new releases.

Is it still worth paying for the contemporary HPs? I’m 50/50 on this. On one hand, it’s good for new drinkers to try, as it offers a different style, and it’s not outrageously priced. On the other hand, there are other whiskeys or spirits in the same or with a similar price point to try. the demand for sherry casks in the whisky industry has long since outstripped the supply the bodegas could naturally deliver.

Seasoned casks on the other hand and that means not only sherry casks is a cheap way to procure the covetted kind of casks. The Service has been prepared by us solely for information purposes to Members and the Service is based on information we consider reliable and we obtain the contents of the Service from a number of different third party sources (including Contributions), but we do not endorse, support, represent, warrant or guarantee the completeness, truthfulness, accuracy, or reliability of the Services and any information therein. In no way, they could neither keep the quality nor deliver the quantity – they could have spared us the marketing spin, though.

The thing people often don’t realise is sherry is made through a solera system so those casks are very rarely sold on. The article’s view is that until the early 80’s, sherry was transported in barrels to the UK, these are what we called sherry casks and were used in whisky. When that practice stopped, people started buying barrels and seasoning with sherry instead to try and get the same flavour. Matured in refill casks and bottled at 46% abv without an age statement, Viking Tribe is described as having notes of ‘vanilla, citrus and pepper with a peaty edge’.The fact is, that practice has been happening for 40ish years now so I’m always surprised when people say that sherry casks now are worse than the ones from the 1990s. Maybe there are other factors at play? Maybe the duration of “seasoning” is shorter? As John said, there is a move to using hogsheads and American oak which naturally gives different flavour profiles as well. Highland Park Viking Tribe is a permanent new addition to the extensive Orkney distillery’s range, sitting alongside Highland Park 12 Year Old and Dragon Legend as the brand’s entry-level expressions.