Perched on Orkney’s wind-battered mainland, Highland Park is a distillery shaped as much by its remote island home as by its long and colourful history. Just outside Kirkwall, it sits closer to the Arctic Circle than to Speyside, its warehouses regularly scoured by salt-laden gales from the North Sea. This isolation lends the whisky a distinctive maritime edge that complements its robust, smoky core.

Founded in 1798 by Magnus Eunson, a butcher, church officer, and, by most accounts, an enthusiastic smuggler, Highland Park’s early days blended sanctity and subterfuge. Legal operations began in 1826, and over time the distillery expanded, its reputation spreading far beyond the windswept archipelago. Today, it is owned by Edrington, sharing stewardship alongside The Macallan, yet retaining its uniquely Orcadian identity.

Highland Park’s production remains deeply traditional. It is one of the few distilleries to still malt a portion of its barley on-site, using local Orkney peat, rich in heather rather than the seaweed-heavy peat of Islay. This imparts a floral, aromatic smoke that weaves gently through the spirit. Long fermentation, relatively short stills, and careful cask selection, particularly European sherry oak, contribute to a whisky known for its complexity and balance.

The resulting style marries honeyed sweetness, dried fruit, and warming spice with a measured, heathery peat smoke. Highland Park’s age-stated expressions, from the approachable 12-year-old to more mature releases, are widely admired for their consistency and depth. It is a whisky that reflects its rugged home, where ancient Norse heritage meets meticulous craftsmanship.