Head to head · same category, comparable price
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old vs Highland Park 12 Year Old Viking Honour
One axis separates these two: peaty, 0 against 4.
Compiled by WhiskeyCask Editorial · Last verified 2026-07-30
Specifications side by side
| The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old | Highland Park 12 Year Old Viking Honour | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Single malt | Single malt |
| Origin | Speyside, Scotland | Islands, Scotland |
| Age | 12 years | 12 years |
| Strength | 43% ABV | 40% ABV |
| Cask | Ex-bourbon barrel, Oloroso sherry butt | Sherry-seasoned American oak, ex-bourbon |
| Bottle | 700 ml | 700 ml |
| RRP observed | £50 | £42 |
| Per 10cl | £7.14 | £6.00 |
| Per litre of alcohol | £166 | £150 |
| Chill-filtered | Not stated | Not stated |
What separates them
Both from Scotland: The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old from Speyside, Highland Park 12 Year Old Viking Honour from Islands.
Both state 12 years.
Cask as each producer describes it: The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old in ex-bourbon barrel and oloroso sherry butt, Highland Park 12 Year Old Viking Honour in sherry-seasoned american oak and ex-bourbon.
Neither states chill filtration.
Neither set of specifications is producer-confirmed.
What the price buys
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old is £8.00 dearer a bottle than Highland Park 12 Year Old Viking Honour.
Strength keeps that ordering: £150 a litre of pure alcohol for Highland Park 12 Year Old Viking Honour against £166.
Across the 32 bottles we can cost this way, The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old is 22nd cheapest and Highland Park 12 Year Old Viking Honour 19th cheapest.
Flavour, compared
View as table
| Axis | The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old | Highland Park 12 Year Old Viking Honour |
|---|---|---|
| Peaty | 0 | 4 |
| Sweet | 8 | 6 |
| Fruity | 6 | 5 |
| Spicy | 4 | 4 |
| Woody | 5 | 5 |
| Sherried | 6 | 5 |
| Cereal | 5 | 5 |
| Oily | 6 | 6 |
That is the only axis of the eight to reach 3 points. Next widest is sweet, 8 against 6.
Identical on spicy, woody, cereal and oily.
Each bottle in its own right
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old
Honey, cinnamon and nutmeg. Sweet without being cloying, and 43% helps.
Full record →Highland Park 12 Year Old Viking Honour
Heather smoke and honey in balance. The best-balanced malt at its price.
Full record →No overlap in what we list them for: The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old for gift and after dinner, Highland Park 12 Year Old Viking Honour for all-rounder and bridge to peated whisky.
Where these specifications come from
Producer and retailer pages for The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old and Highland Park 12 Year Old Viking Honour: thebalvenie.com, highlandparkwhisky.com. Figures are what those pages published when we last checked them, on 2026-07-30.