Highland Park 17 Year Old 2007 Connoisseurs Choice (Gordon & MacPhail) Single Malt - 70cl 59.9%

About Highland Park Distillery

Highland Park Distillery is one of Scotland’s most historic and celebrated Island single malt Scotch whisky distilleries, located in Kirkwall on the Orkney Islands. Established in 1798, Highland Park has more than two centuries of whisky-making heritage and is particularly renowned for combining aromatic peat smoke with rich fruit, honey, spice and sherry-influenced oak.

Its remote Orkney location plays an important role in Highland Park's identity. The islands' windswept landscape and distinctive heather-rich peat help create a style of smoke that differs from the more medicinal and maritime peat commonly associated with Islay whisky.

Highland Park Whisky Character

Highland Park is celebrated for achieving a distinctive balance between smoke and sweetness. Rather than producing an overwhelmingly peated style, its whiskies typically combine gentle aromatic smoke with layers of fruit, honey and spice.

Typical Highland Park tasting characteristics include:

Aromatic heather peat smoke
Heather honey
Dried and orchard fruits
Orange and citrus peel
Vanilla and caramel
Warming baking spices
Sherry-influenced richness
Gentle maritime notes
Rich oak
Long, balanced smoky finishes

This combination has helped make Highland Park Single Malt Scotch Whisky particularly approachable for drinkers exploring peated whisky while retaining enough complexity for experienced enthusiasts.

Orkney Peat

One of the defining characteristics of Highland Park whisky is the peat traditionally sourced from Hobbister Moor on Orkney.

Orkney's environment has resulted in peat with a significant proportion of heather and relatively little woody material. When used during the malting process, it contributes a distinctive fragrant, heathery style of smoke to Highland Park's spirit.

This aromatic peat character has become an important part of the distillery's signature flavour profile.

Traditional Floor Maltings

Highland Park is among the relatively small number of Scotch whisky distilleries that continue to operate traditional floor maltings for a proportion of their malted barley.

During this labour-intensive process, barley is spread across the malting floor and regularly turned by hand as it germinates.

The malt is then exposed to Orkney peat smoke during kilning, helping create the distinctive smoky character that ultimately appears in the finished whisky.

Cask Maturation

Cask selection plays an important role in the character of Highland Park Single Malt Whisky.

The distillery has a particularly strong association with sherry-seasoned European and American oak casks, which can contribute flavours of dried fruit, vanilla, citrus, nuts, chocolate and warming spices.

Combined with Highland Park's aromatic peated spirit, these casks create the characteristic balance between sweetness, fruit, spice and smoke for which the distillery has become internationally recognised.
Highland Park Age Statement Whiskies

Highland Park has produced an extensive range of age-statement and limited-edition whiskies over its long history.

The Highland Park 18 Year Old is one of the distillery's best-known mature expressions, while older, discontinued and special-edition Highland Park bottlings are particularly popular among enthusiasts and collectors.

These longer-aged whiskies demonstrate how Highland Park's characteristic Orkney peat smoke develops alongside rich fruit, sherry-seasoned oak and mature spice over extended periods in cask.

Why Highland Park Whisky Is So Popular

Highland Park occupies an interesting position within Scotch whisky because it successfully bridges the gap between peated and sherry-influenced single malt.

Its combination of aromatic Orkney peat, traditional production methods and carefully selected oak creates a style that is recognisably smoky without allowing peat to dominate the whisky.

For enthusiasts seeking an Island Single Malt Scotch Whisky combining smoke, fruit, honey and sherry-cask richness, Highland Park remains one of Scotland's most important and recognisable distilleries.