Highland Park has caught the imagination in recent years with their effective use of Norse legends and the integration into Orkney’s heritage and culture. The Valhalla Collection, which we’re focusing on here specifically is the most recent themed set from Highland Park. This built upon the achievements and experience gained from the Earl Magnus Editions although it’s not a recipe for success as the Warrior series demonstrated. 

It was this trio celebrating local nobles that inflamed the collector and investor market thanks to the heritage styled labels, bottle design and wooden boxes that protected the whisky. These can be a real pain to unlock and no doubt assisted the team when they moved onto the Valhalla concept. An additional learning point was the release numbers for each of the Magnus releases, as these varied hugely and caused an avalanche of demand and bitterly disappointed enthusiasts unable to secure a bottle.

The Valhalla Collection debuted with the release of Thor in 2012. For those of you who weren’t interested in whisky back then, this release caused a huge debate with many criticising the pricing and packaging. The argument was that Thor was all presentation and little else. Priced at £120 for a 16 year old whisky also came under fire and for a while it seemed many turned their back on the concept.  

I can recall being at the distillery around this time and Thor’s were in ….. Read more at Just Whisky’s Blog.