• Founded: 1798
• Status: Operational
• Region: Highlands (Island), Orkney, Scotland.
• Online: https://www.highlandparkwhisky.com/

History The distillery was founded in 1798, presumably by Magnus Eunson. The name of this whisky does not refer to the area of Scotland known as The Highlands, but rather to the fact that the distillery was founded on an area called ‘High Park’ distinguished from a lower area nearby. Highland Park is one of the few distilleries to malt its own barley, using locally cut peat from Hobbister Moor. The peat is then mixed with heather before being used as fuel. The malt is peated to a level of 20 parts per million phenol and then mixed with unpeated malt produced on the Scottish mainland. In 1984, Highland Park was the only whisky ever to have scored a rating of 100% by the regular tasting team of The Scotsman, a national newspaper of Scotland. Whisky reviewer Michael Jackson has called it “The greatest all-rounder in the world of malt whisky.”

The Whiskyphiles tasting notes

Official Bottling

• Highland Park 12 Year Old 2005 Gatwick WDF (66.4%, OB, Refill Sherry Butt #1140, 540 bottles, 2017)
• Highland Park 12 Years Old (40%, OB, 2011)
• Highland Park 14 Years Old Loyalty Of The Wolf (42.3%, OB, 2018)
• Highland Park 15 Years Old (40%, OB, 2017)
• Highland Park 15 Years Old Freya (51.2%, OB, 2014)
• Highland Park 15 Years Old Loki (48.7%, OB, 2014)
• Highland Park 16 Years Old Thor (52.1%, OB, 2014)
• Highland Park 16 Years Old Wings Of The Eagle (44.5%, OB, 2018)
• Highland Park 18 Years Old (43%, OB, 2015)
• Highland Park 21 Years Old (47.5%, OB, 2016)
• Highland Park Dragon Legend (43.1%, OB, 2017)
• Highland Park Drakkar (40%, OB, travel retail, 2014)
• Highland Park Hobbister (51%, OB, 2016)
• Highland Park Spirit Of The Bear (40%, OB, 2018)

Independent Bottling

Cadenhead

• Highland Park 22 Years Old 1992 Sherry Cask (59.6%, Cadenheads, 234 Bottles, 2014)
• Highland Park 27 Years Old 1988 Wine Cask (53.3%, Cadenheads, Claret Finish, 234 Bottles, 2015)

Douglas Laing

• Highland Park 28 Years Old 1984 Director’s Cut (48.5%, Douglas Laing, Cask #9968, 133 Bottles, 2013)

Duncan Taylor

• Highland Park 2003 Post-Octave (50.7%, Duncan Taylor, 2018)
• Highland Park 2003 Pre-Octave (50.9%, Duncan Taylor, 2018)

Gordon & MacPhail

• Highland Park 13 Years Old 2004 Connoisseurs Choice (60.0%, Gordon & MacPhail, 1st Fill Sherry Butt #3812, 655 Bottles, 2018)

Robert Graham

• Highland Park 25 Years Old Treasurer’s Selection (46.5%, Robert Graham, 90 Bottles, 2016)

Scotch Malt Whisky Society

• Highland Park 18 Years Old 1995 4.194 Lip-smacking and mouth-puckering (53.3%, SMWS, Refill Bourbon HH, 60 Bottles, 2014)
• Highland Park 19 Years Old 1995 4.214 After hours (54.4%, SMWS, Bourbon HH, 235 Bottles, 2015)
• Highland Park 27 Years Old 1986 4.202 Salt and pepper (45.1%, SMWS, Refill HH, 261 Bottles, 2015)