Ragnvald sits fifth in Highland Park's Warrior series, released as part of a travel retail lineup that unfolded between 2013 and 2014. It takes its name from Ragnvald Kolson, the 12th-century Earl of Orkney whose vow to build a great stone church in honour of his martyred uncle Magnus led to the founding of St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall — still one of the finest Romanesque buildings in Scotland and only a short walk from the distillery itself.
The whisky is the strongest of the Warrior releases at 44.6% ABV, and of the six it is generally reckoned the most substantial. No age statement is given, but there is a clear weight of sherry cask influence in the glass, and the Highland Park house peat sits firmly rather than as a distant whisper. Those who complained that the earlier Warrior releases had been pared back too far found in Ragnvald something closer to what they expected of Orkney's benchmark distillery.
Highland Park has been distilling on its Kirkwall site since 1798 and retains its own floor maltings, using heathery Hobbister Moor peat to give its smoke the aromatic rather than medicinal quality that is its signature. That character runs through Ragnvald plainly, wrapped in darker, sherried notes that recall the older core range.
The price places Ragnvald among the more serious Warrior expressions, and it rewards the outlay better than its lighter siblings. As a Warrior release it is arguably the one worth seeking out — recognisably Highland Park, and bottled at a strength that lets the distillate breathe.
