The Highland Park Distillery is the northernmost single malt Scotch whisky distillery in Scotland and is located in Kirkwall on the Orkney Islands. The distillery was founded in 1798 by Magnus Eunson, a butcher and church officer who worked as an illegal distiller and whisky smuggler at night. In 1826, Highland Park received an official license to distill whisky.
The name of the distillery does not refer to the Scottish Highlands but to an area called "High Park" where the distillery was founded. Highland Park uses local peat, which contains a higher proportion of heather compared to other types of peat, and the water comes from the nearby spring "Cattie Maggie's Spring." The whisky matures in sherry casks made of American or European oak, sourced from Oloroso sherry producers in Spain.
Some of the most famous bottlings include the Highland Park 12 Year Old, known for its well-balanced aromas of oranges, fruitcake, heather honey, and light smoke, as well as the Highland Park 18 Year Old, which offers more complex flavor notes of cherries, dark chocolate, and aromatic smoke. Other notable bottlings include the Highland Park 21 Year Old, 25 Year Old, 30 Year Old, and the rare 40 Year Old.
Highland Park also has special series like the "Valhalla" range, named after Norse gods, and the "Orcadian Vintage" series, which includes vintage bottlings from the 1960s and 1970s. The distillery has received numerous awards, including the "Chairman’s Trophy" at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge and double gold medals at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
