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Add Whisky Monkeys as a Google favoriteIt’s time once again to uncover the story behind a whisky name. This week we head to Orkney and Highland Park, where Norse mythology takes center stage. Highland Park Dragon Legend draws on the saga of Sigurd the dragon slayer. Welcome to Whisky Names Explained.
The Highland Park distillery is based in Orkney, a place steeped in Norse folklore. Among those tales is the legend of Sigurd the dragon slayer, the inspiration behind Highland Park Dragon Legend single malt whisky.
Sigurd’s legend begins with Odin and Loki. Disguised, they traveled through Midgard carrying a trove of gold and more. When they paused to rest at a small dwelling, the gods were robbed by Fafnir and his brothers. Greedy Fafnir refused to share the loot and murdered his siblings. His treachery came at a price: corruption set in, and he transformed into a mighty dragon.
All he did thereafter was sleep upon his hoard, unaware that a warrior named Sigurd (also known as Siegfried) had been sent after him by Odin. Sigurd struck the dragon straight through the heart and watched as the beast drew its final breath. When Sigurd later tasted a drop of dragon’s blood from his thumb, he was suddenly gifted with wisdom and foresight. Those qualities echo in the character of Highland Park Dragon Legend—though the whisky won’t tell your future or make you smarter.
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Highland Park Dragon Legend: A boldly smoky whisky
The character of Highland Park Dragon Legend suits Fafnir’s fearsome presence as much as the heroism of Sigurd. This is a whisky with real backbone, befitting the dragon slayer of Norse lore. It’s also intensely smoky, thanks to slow maturation in European oak sherry casks and a generous measure of peated Orkney barley.
Highland Park Dragon Legend isn’t a whisky for everyone. Expect aromas of vanilla and winter spices, sun-ripened lemons, sweet heather honey, and of course peat smoke. On the palate it’s full-flavored and powerfully smoky, with notes of pepper, wood, and peat. The finish is long and spicy.
Highland Park Dragon Legend is bottled at 70 centiliters and 43.1% ABV. You’ll spot the bottle and packaging by the Norse-style illustration of a horse and Highland Park’s distinctive H.
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FAQ
-
What inspired the name Highland Park Dragon Legend?
It is inspired by the Norse legend of Sigurd the dragon slayer, who defeated the dragon Fafnir. -
What does Highland Park Dragon Legend taste like?
It is bold and smoky, with notes of vanilla, winter spices, lemon, heather honey, pepper, wood, and peat. -
How strong is Highland Park Dragon Legend?
The whisky is bottled at 43.1% ABV and comes in a 70 cl bottle.
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- There is no distillery equipment there and also no licences to produce or sell alcohol.TRC19-12-2025
- Hi Yvonne, Thank you for your response and for sharing the video. Unfortunately, the evidence you referred to consists only of two people talking about the whisky, without any explanation or identification. We have not spoken to the individuals in the video ourselves, nor can we verify who they are. We describe it as a Chinese whisky because it is released by a Chinese distillery. As you mentioned, the distillery has chosen to label the product as “pure malt” instead of “Chinese whisky.” Based on that, we do not believe they are doing anything illegal.M0nkey16-11-2025
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