Buy rare and selected Highland Park Single Malt Scotch Whisky online

Highland Park is the only distillery on the Orkney Island apart from Scapa and often prides itself on being the most northerly whisky distillery in Scotland. Located in Kirkwall, Orkney, the distillery dates back to 1798 and legend has it that the distillery has its roots in an illicit distillery run by Magnus Eunson - a butcher and churchman by day and a smuggler by night - even before the licence was granted.
In 1825, Robert Borwick built the present distillery, which received its official licence in 1826. It remained in the possession of the Borwicks until 1869, after which it changed hands several times. James Grant acquired the distillery in 1890 and had it extended from two to four stills in 1898. From 1918 to 1937, when it was taken over by the Highland Distillers Group, the distillery was closed. From 1997 to 2005, the employees also ran the Scapa distillery, in return for which they were allowed to use the warehouses there. After various owners, Highland Park has belonged to the Edrington Group (which also owns Macallan and Glenrothes) since 1999, which is known for its focus on quality, particularly when it comes to cask selection.
Highland Park is one of the few distilleries in Scotland that still malt some of its own barley (approx. 20%) on traditional malting floor. The barley is turned by hand. This is labour-intensive, but the distillery believes it contributes to the unique complexity of the whisky. The peat used comes from the nearby Hobbister moor. This Orkney peat differs from the peat from Islay: it consists mainly of heather and sphagnum moss with very little wood content. When the malt is kilned over this peat fire, a characteristic, rather sweet, floral and aromatic smoke is produced, in contrast to the often medicinal, phenolic smoke of Islay whiskies. The water for the distillery, which is part of the Islands region, comes from Cattie Maggies Quarry, an old quarry fed by an underground spring.
The distillery s location on the Orkney Islands has a significant influence on the distillery. The islands have a harsh, maritime climate, are largely treeless and look back on a rich history that is strongly influenced by the Vikings, which is reflected today in the marketing and names of many bottlings. The name Highland Park is not derived from the Scottish Highlands, but from the area called High Park on which the distillery was built.
Highland Park is famous for its balanced and complex flavour profile, which is often described as a bridge between different whisky styles. The characteristic balance between aromatic smokiness and sherry cask sweetness is its trademark and the cool, maritime climate on Orkney ensures slow, even maturation.
The typical flavours (vary greatly depending on age and bottling) are evident on the nose with a balance of heather honey sweetness, floral notes (heather), aromatic smoke (like a distant heather fire, not medicinal), often paired with notes of dried fruit (sultanas, orange peel), sometimes a little marzipan or a light salty sea breeze the flavour is usually medium to full-bodied, a subtle sweetness (honey, caramel, dried fruit), the characteristic heather smoke, malt notes, warming spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger) and often a subtle saltiness. The finish is often medium to long, warming and complex. The smoky and spicy flavours often linger together with a pleasant sweetness and oak notes.
Highland Park has numerous special editions with names from Norse mythology (e.g. Valkyrie, Dragon Legend, Magnus, The Valhalla), which emphasise different aspects of the Highland Park character and numerous single cask whiskies that are particularly sought after by connoisseurs and whisky lovers.
Highland Park Scotch Whisky is a highly regarded single malt from the Orkney Islands, which is characterised by its unique combination of local, aromatic peat, traditional malting and high-quality maturation in selected sherry and boubon casks. The result is a complex, well-balanced Scotch whisky with an unmistakable character that harmoniously combines both sweet and smoky notes.