Highland Park’s latest whisky gets under your skin
Partnership with famed Nordic tattoo artist celebrates Orcadian culture
Monday 25th March 2019: Highland Park today announces the launch of 16-Year-Old single malt whisky Twisted Tattoo, the first expression from the Orkney-based distillery to combine whisky matured in rioja seasoned wine casks and first fill bourbons casks.
A rich and full-bodied whisky with notes of light heather peat and soft red fruits, the inspiration for Twisted Tattoo comes from Orkney’s Norse ancestry and the Viking legend of the Midgard Serpent which grew so large it twisted around the earth to bite its own tail.
To bring this mythology to life on the bottle, Highland Park has partnered with renowned Danish tattoo artist Colin Dale, who specialises in the ancient art of dot-work tattooing – a freestyled, non-electric tattoo technique – to create Twisted Tattoo’s striking design.
Dale’s research has helped to reintroduce the lost tattooing techniques of the Nordic, Native American and Inuit cultures. His studio, Skin & Bone, uses both traditional and modern techniques to tell stories on skin.
With an ABV of 46.7%, Twisted Tattoo is available exclusively from The Whisky Shop. RRP £80.
Chris Anderson, head of Edrington brands at Edrington-Beam Suntory UK, said: “Highland Park is incredibly proud of its Orcadian routes, which is why so many of our whiskies celebrate our home – and Twisted Tattoo is no different.
“Highland Park is innately Nordic and we want to pay homage to this through the launch of our latest whisky and partnership, which brings liquid and art together.”
Jason Craig, global brand director, Highland Park, said: “For us, Colin Dale was an ideal choice as a creative partner. He is the perfect example of a modern-day Viking Soul and our partnership show off the similarities between our crafts.
“Tattoos are emotionally important and tell stories on the skin, much like our whisky tells the tales of our Orkney islands’ ancestry. Both arts can be traced back hundreds of years with the traditional skills still playing a key role in the tattooing and whisky making process today.”
Notes
About Highland Park TWISTED TATTOO:
16-Year-Old single malt Scotch whisky crafted from casks seasoned with Spanish Rioja wine with first fill Bourbon oak casks combined with ex bourbon casks
Available both 70cl and 75cl depending on market
RRP: £80.00
ABV is 46.7%
Available in both 70cl and 75cl
Key Flavour: Rich and Full Bodied
Tasting Notes:
Appearance: Natural colour, clear and bright, soft rose tint driven by the Rioja wine casks
Nose: Cedar wood, vanilla, heathery peat and peaches
Palate: Sweet creamy vanilla, light heather peat with hints of soft red fruits
Finish: Sweet vanilla, full bodied with light, aromatic peat
About Edrington-Beam Suntory Distribution UK
Edrington-Beam Suntory Distribution UK is one of the UK’s biggest sprits sales, marketing and distribution companies. It is a joint-venture company jointly owned by Edrington and Beam Suntory.
Edrington-Beam Suntory UK represents leading whiskies brands in categories including:
- Blended Scotch (The Famous Grouse, Naked Grouse and Teacher’s)
- Malt whisky (Highland Park, Laphroaig, The Macallan and Ardmore)
- Japanese whiskies (Yamazaki, Hibiki and Hakushu)
- Bourbon (Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark and Knob Creek)
- Imported whiskies (Canadian Club and Kilbeggan Irish whiskey)
It also handles UK sales and distribution for Courvoisier cognac, Snow Leopard and EFFEN vodkas, Roku gin, Sauza tequila, Brugal 1888 rum and a portfolio of liqueurs and specialities (including Sourz, Bols liqueurs, Galliano and After Shock).
About Highland Park, the Orkney Single Malt with Viking Soul:
Whisky has been distilled at Highland Park in Kirkwall, Orkney since 1798. Founder Magnus Eunson, was a direct descendant of Vikings who settled in Orkney over 1,000 years ago. A butcher and church officer by day and a bootlegger and smuggler by night, he set up an illegal whisky-making operation at a little bothy (a stone hut) at High Park, overlooking Kirkwall.
It is still the site of the distillery today and although we say Highland Park was founded in 1798, that’s actually the year the authorities finally caught up with Magnus.
Highland Park is made today, just as it was in 1798, using five keystones of production, aromatic peat, hand turned floor maltings, sherry oak casks, cool maturation and cask harmonisation. No other distillery uses all five keystones; so no other whisky tastes like Highland Park.
Few trees survive the gale-force winds on Orkney, this makes the island peat woodless and rich in heather. This helps create the trademark Highland Park flavour profile of aromatic smoky peat and sweet heather honey.
About Colin Dale:
Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada to a Scandinavian father and artisan mother, Colin now lives in Copenhagen where he is the owner of Skin & Bone tattoo studio. The studio provides a meeting place to share experiences and to have the opportunity to work alongside other ethnographic artists and tattooists from all over the world.
His fascination with tattooing began as a Fine Art student and, over the years, he has explored the traditional designs, symbolism and techniques of cultures around the world.
His fascination with tattooing began as a Fine Art student and, over the years, he has explored the traditional designs, symbolism and techniques of cultures around the world. A creative pioneer and a skilled craftsman, he uses both ancient and modern tattooing techniques to tell stories on skin – a true modern-day Viking Soul.
Colin’s research has helped to reintroduce the lost tattooing techniques of the Nordic, Native American and Inuit cultures. His work has been illustrated in various books, magazines and documentary programs.
Colin continues to travel and promote cultural tattooing throughout the world. He has a mainly global clientele who book months in advance for his traditional ‘dot work’ tattooing technique.
