Highland Park Whisky DIstillery

Highland Park stands at the edge of the world, perched on Scotland's Orkney Islands where Viking longships once prowled these northern waters. This distillery has earned its reputation not through marketing bluster but through nearly two and a quarter centuries of uncompromising craft, producing single malts that capture both the wild character of their windswept home and the refined touch of master distillers.

History & Heritage

The story begins in 1798 with Magnus Eunson, a butcher and church officer who ran an illicit still on this Kirkwall site until authorities caught up with his double life. Highland Park received its official license in 1826 under Robert Borwick, making it one of Scotland's oldest working distilleries. James Grant of Glenlivet purchased the operation in 1895, expanding capacity before The Edrington Group took ownership in 1999.

The Whiskey

Highland Park produces single malt Scotch whisky distinguished by light smoke married with heather honey sweetness, often showing orange and nutmeg notes from extensive sherry cask maturation. The distillery maintains traditional floor malting for 20-30% of its barley, using peat cut from local Hobbister Moor that burns with moss and heather rather than wood, creating aromatic smoke without harsh edges. Water flows from Cattie Maggie's Spring, while maturation happens primarily in Oloroso sherry seasoned oak casks that deliver the rich spice and dried fruit character Highland Park has championed since 2004.

Why It Matters

When F. Paul Pacult names your 18-year expression "Best Spirit in the World" three times, and your 25-year earns a perfect 100-point score at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge, you have proven your worth beyond question. Highland Park balances 2.5 million liters of annual production with handcraft methods most distilleries abandoned decades ago, creating whiskies that honor both Viking heritage and Scottish tradition.