Scotland, Isle of Orkney. Distillery operational. Owner: The Edrington Group Ltd

Owned by the Edrington Group, Highland Park remained for a long time somewhat of a niche malt reserved for connoisseurs and well-informed enthusiasts, notably due to its kinship with Macallan. The distillery drew its quintessence from this relationship and the access it afforded to perfect mastery of sherry cask ageing and beautifully sculpted casks. The rest comes from the island's natural, cultural and geographic heritage. Established in 1798 on Orkney, a wind- and wave-swept island where Viking blood continues to run through the veins of its inhabitants, Highland Park produces a traditional malt, characterized by its lightly peated barley which is malted on site. Although the bottle shape evolved at the turn of the 1980s, the style remained the same until the late 1990s. Playing on a profound sherry register in which subtle notes of iodine and peat smoke highlight its almost mystical Celtic temperament, Highland Park has today come completely out of the shadows. It is one of the most legitimate distilleries in the collectibles world due to its history, the consistent quality of its malt and the breadth of the range.

The Highland Park distillery is located on the Orkney Islands in the extreme north of Scotland and here presents us with its 18 year old expression, which has been matured in European and American oak ex-sherry casks. Releases from this distillery make the most of the cool temperatures typical of the region’s long winters to achieve optimum maturation. Each bottling is created from a blend of approximately 150 casks. These are then married together for one month before bottling to instil perfectly harmony between the flavours.
This leads to an expression that stuns the senses with wonderful aromas of dried fruit and honey on a slightly peaty and smoky backbone. On the palate, medicinal herbs are paired with honeyed notes on a foundation of burnt wood that culminates in a smoky and salty finish. A truly classic Highland Park that can be savoured alone or paired with a special dish, such as fish curry, salmon pie or a bold dessert like a lemon-meringue tart.