Highland Park Freya is the third of four releases in the Valhalla Collection available from Highland Park Distillery. Freya pays homage to the eponymous Norse goddess, which was associated with love and fertility and believed to reign over the Norse afterlife. Freya was also known for her feathered cloak and and was believed to cause the Northern Lights, giving rise to Freya Single Malt’s luminescent green bottle.
Highland Park Freya Single Malt Whisky is made from lightly peated barley, which is mashed and fermented before being twice distilled through Highland Park’s copper-pot stills. Following distillation, the whisky is matured for 15 years before being bottled without the use of chill filtration or artificial coloring. Much like the god it pays homage to, Freya is intriguing and complex, and is housed in an award-winning wooden frame that echos the fearsome contours of a traditional Viking ship. The whisky has an aroma of heathered honey, apricots, peat and plums. Notes of sweet fruit, oak spice, ginger, chili peppers and salted caramel dominate the palate, and lead to a finish with hints of earthy smoke, minerals, toffee apples and honey.