Highland Park distillery
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox Scottish distillery Highland Park distillery is an Island single malt Scotch whisky distillery located in Kirkwall on the Orkney Islands,Scotland. It is the northernmost single malt Scotch whisky distillery.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Pharms">Template:Cite web</ref>
History
Highland Park distillery was founded by Magnus Eunson, a butcher and church officer by day and illicit distiller and whisky smuggler by night. In 1798 he was caught illegally distilling whisky on the site. In 1826, nearly 30 years later, Highland Park received an official licence to distill whisky.<ref name="Pharms"/> The name of the distillery does not refer to the Scottish Highlands, but rather to the fact that the distillery was founded on an area called 'High Park' distinguished from a lower area nearby.<ref name=":0" />
In 1937, Highland Park distillery was sold to James Grant & Sons of Glasgow.<ref name="Arthur">Template:Cite book</ref>
In 1979, the distillery was purchased by The Edrington Group, that also owned The Macallan distillery.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
In February 2023, Highland Park released a 54-year-old Single Malt Scotch whisky to celebrate Highland Park's 225th anniversary.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Production
The distilling process at Highland Park is the same as that used at other distilleries.
Highland Park uses the local peat,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> which contains a higher proportion of heather than many other peats.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> The whisky is aged in sherry casks made of either American or European oak, purchased from Oloroso sherry producers in Spain.<ref name=":0" />
Whisky
The Highland Park range in 2024 was as follows:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Classic collection
Highland Park 12 Year Old
Highland Park 15 Year Old
Highland Park 18 Year Old
Highland Park 21 Year Old 2024 Release
Highland Park 25 Year Old 2023 Release
Highland Park 54 Year Old
Special Editions
Highland Park Cask Strength Release No. 5
Highland Park Single Cask Series: Cask No. 1494
In 2025, its website also offered a 30 Year Old and a 40 Year Old.
There are also travel exclusives: in 2025, Land of Orkney (14yo), Sea of Orkey (16yo) and Sky of Orkney (18yo), and previously Spirit of the Bear (no age), Loyalty of the Wolf (14yo) and Wings of the Eagle (16yo).
Awards
Highland Park has been named "The Best Spirit in the World" on three occasions by F. Paul Pacult, America's foremost expert on distilled spirits. Its 25-year-old whisky was the first spirit ever to receive a perfect 100-point score at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge. In 2018, two of its special distillery releases, The Light and The Dark, were each awarded a Double Gold medal in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2019 and for the fourth year running,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Highland Park won the Chairman's Trophy for Best in Category at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2018, Highland Park ranked second, behind sister distillery The Macallan, in whisky auction sales driven by growing demand from whisky collectors for the distillery's special releases.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
See also
References
Notes
External links
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