Beware the hipsters are coming!

@Wierdo Authentic is just another buzzword. I don’t want to get too deep in the weeds, but a woman with whom I did my undergrad wrote a paper (during her Masters or PhD, I can’t remember) about the myth of authenticity as it relates to food. As an historian I found it fascinating. Most of what is considered authentic Italian/Indian/Chinese/Whatever cuisine was actually the food of the ruling classes, and thus would not have been eaten by most of the common populace.

And with whisky, nobody is making whisky the way it would have been done back in 1780-whatever. And it’s probably for the best. I’ll go out on a limb and suggest that quality control is better nowadays.

@OdysseusUnbound - Same with 'authentic' beer . . . In whiskey terms Jack Daniel's always intrigue me; It seems they have a massive operation but still do things in the 'old way' (yes, I was paid for that quote ) just on a vastly different scale. How much is bumpf I don't know but I'd say it wouldn't be unfair to describe them as an authentic distiller, even though many a purist would perhaps scoff at that notion?

edit - I'd have like to have read your friend's paper, sounds interesting and touches on one of my modern bug bears - that of 'street food' served up at top restaurant prices 'cos it's authentic . . . well, no it isn't lol!

@OdysseusUnbound well said "authentic" is often bandied about and too few really dig deeper to understand what they mean. I think "tradition" is often what people mean to say but even that is weighed down, "tradition" according to whom or what, that must be explained to understand the context.

As for food you are totally right, much of the food eaten in Chinese or Indian restaurants in the West and thought of as "authentic" is food that would be served at banquets or for special holidays, not what most people would eat on a daily basis.

@cricklewood Yup. Even "authentic" French food isn't all that "authentic". The baguette is a product of the Industrial Revolution. And all the rich, fancy French dishes would NOT have been eaten by medieval, or even Renaissance peasants. The majority of the population would not have had regular access to salt and pepper, never mind plentiful meats, cheeses, and the variety of things they couldn't grow themselves. French peasants, like those in much of Western Europe, would have subsisted on what they grew or foraged: legumes, bread, vegetables, a limited amount of fruit. Heck even some minor land-owners stopped milking cows for the winter to avoid the extra feed a milk cow requires. Uhm...yeah, whisky....

@OdysseusUnbound although I've not tried any ancient whisky I agree that the quality of our whisky now must be far superior to whisky form days of yore. I imagine it must have been fairly young and rough - and highly variable batch to batch.

@Hewie There are stories of illicit distillers hiding (maturing?) their uisce beatha in barrels that were once used to deliver fish to market. How’s that for flavourful finishing?

@OdysseusUnbound I had a bowmore once that smelled or tasted of smoked salmon. It wan't bad.

@OdysseusUnbound, Fishky!!!

www.whiskyfun.com/archivemay07-2.html

@MadSingleMalt Is it weird that I want to try the Fishky? It actually sounds pretty good...

@OdysseusUnbound, I want to try it too! Sounds delicious. I would buy a whole bottle on the spot.

And tonight, I just noted another dreaded VIKING expression from HP... Apparently, VIKING TRIBE isn't available on HP's own website, since it is an expression exclusively developed and sold via Amazon.co.uk...

Thank god Amazon has a complete and thoroughly illuminating info about it:

"Introducing Highland Park Viking Tribe, an exceptional and unique single malt bottling at marrying strength of 46% ABV. Bottling at 46% ABV (compared to 40% or 43% as is normal) allows the whisky to be filtered at a higher ambient temperature."

@RikS wow, HP just keep releasing new expressions every other week, it just seems like they are watering down this brand to the max. I am not crying the loss of a brand I love but this is a perverse effect that is likely to spread to many others.

@RikS Yeah, but it's "exceptional and unique."

@cricklewood @BlueNote I do wonder who is doing their marketing?

I understand the value of associating themselves to the rough seas and salty vikings... but one has to wonder how they see the fact that amongst the community of whisky aficionados (which I presume is still a segment of significant importance alongside the occasional travelers who just wish to pick up a 'cool bottle) the exaggerated extent to which they have taken this is met with nothing but ridicule and heads shaking...

@RikS - I tried, and failed, to post a gif so an image will have to do

@riks, I would agree with you but after delving into the whisky scene on Instagram and YouTube you'd be surprised how many people pander to the brand ambassadors and companies.

The marketing arms of distilleries have played their hand masterfully by using the smoke and mirrors of rarity and luxury to drive the sales of NAS.

I guess this shit must work if they keep flogging a new release every other month. It's too bad as Highland Park does have a great distillate and a unique character, the viking heritage is not a bad angle, they've just leaned so far into it.

@cricklewood I don't mind the marketing in the sense of leveraging the rough climate and heritage etc. It's just about finding the right tune to the target segment; just like Springbanks 'tradition' appeals to some, I can perfectly see how HP's approach appeals to others. Equally, I'm not principally opposed to NAS, many of the whiskies I like do not have age statements, like the Uigeadail, A'bunadh, various DE etc.

What I find most annoying is that I tend to pick expressions depending on mood: I want sweet barley Glenmorangie. Same but different and with a kick Amrut fusion, something pungent Laga, dry smoke Ledaig, ashy peat Caol Ila, sweet peat Oogie, sweet peat and iodine QC etc...

But as I look at the various HP, I have absolutely no idea how to distinguish Viking Tribe from Viking Family, from Viking Kids, Black Raven, Spotted Raven, Black Raven sitting on Viking Shoulder, Black Viking raping Grey Wolf, White Wolf snatching Spotted Raven from hands of Raging Viking etc etc etc etc. It just seems random and rather idiotic to me...

@RikS Some people have their one single malt brand that they always go to. Usually with an ice cube. No deviation. HP 12 on the rocks. Occ. a stretch... if someone offered them an 18 or 10.

I think these HP releases are not designed for drinking by mood... they are for drinking by brand.

@RikS Viking kids

I thought you were doing an actual listing until I saw that one.

@Nozinan - I think that is the rub of this. I've lost count of the number of folk who when they find out I like whisky tell me I should try HP as it's a 'proper whisky'. I imagine most of them have with ice and might drink a bottle or two a year. They will make up most of HP's sales, I'd wager, and they will be happy to try the 'Viking Raping Wolf up the Black Raven' editions as it's all a bit fancy dan . . .

I'd imagine they are also the sort that should they find their HP (or insert other brand name here ________ ) to be at a higher strength, lighter coloured and non-CF they'd be complaining it was too hot and not as good as before.

As said above by @cricklewood - fair play to the marketeers as they are cleverly and successfully milking the whisky teat dry - it's what comes after that will be the issue for HP, but they'll be long gone by then sipping Bolly on their yachts on the Med . . .

Look at brands like Hugo Boss or Burberry - not long ago they were signs of quality and class - now you can buy them at discount shops all over the country . . .

About HP and the plethora of releases, I think that @Nozinan is right. The people who are going to want to collect all of the pieces of the HP puzzle are HP collectors. "Collecting them all" is a popular pastime for fans of Ardbeg, Macallan, Mortlach, etc. Highland Park figures to go the same route, I think. Do they motivate me to buy more of their products by taking this approach? No.

"….for drinking by brand." I think @Nozinan has nailed it.

It's amusing that hipsters are attracted to words like "authentic" in a product, when they're the most inauthentic people going around

I wonder how much Haig Club they are dribbling into those big hipster beards.

@BlueNote I would not be one to throw stones. I'm growing a movember stache and am worried some good stuff may get misplaced...

@Nozinan That would be tragic... (ally hip).