Highland Park King Christian I One Very Kingly Whisky

Of all the Scotch whisky distilleries we cover here at The Whiskey Wash, one of my personal favorites is Highland Park. As a collector, I have sought out via multiple channels a good majority of their bottlings, including the hard to track down, travel retail focused Warrior Series. I thought I finally had gotten all the bottles, but nope, the sneaky folk at the distillery just unveiled the seventh expression for this line up – King Christian I.

Highland Park King Christian I, according to the distillery, is a non-age statement whisky which is a “combination of refill butts and hogsheads of exceptional age and character [that] were selected and, after a period of being married together,” bottled at 46.8% ABV.

This global travel retail focused whisky, of which only 300 bottles are being released in February at a price point of £3,750 (around $5,700 USD), comes in a box with a design in keeping with the rest of the Warrior Series. The bottle it comes in, however, is something else entirely. It takes the form of “a stunning crystal teardrop-shaped decanter inspired by Nordic glassware, [that] is held in place by a beautiful silver spiral cradle.”

“The ferocious winds, which batter Orkney in the winter months, create a uniquely heather-based peat that we use to dry our malt after being prepared and turned in our traditional but increasingly rare floor maltings,” said Highland Park Whisky Maker Max McFarlane in a statement. “This unique wood-free peat, imparts the final whisky with subtle qualities, delicate fragrances and softer scents which have remained even after long periods of extended maturation.”

The colour, as with all bottles of Highland Park, is entirely natural: the delicate coppery shades emerge as re-fill casks release less colour than classic first fill casks. The relatively higher strength ABV, like the colour, is also natural.”

King Christian I, by the way, was a king from Denmark who played in important role in making the distillery’s Orkney Islands home base a part of Scotland in 1468.