Region: Island | |
---|---|
Location | Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland |
Owner | Edrington |
Founded | 1798 |
Status | Operational |
No. of stills | 2 wash 2 spirit |
Capacity | 2,500,000 litres |
Highland Park | |
Age(s) | (in years) NAS, 12, 14 (duty-free), 15, 16 (duty-free), 18, 21, 54 |
Cask type(s) | Bourbon Sherry |
Highland Park distillery is an Island single malt Scotch whisky distillery located in Kirkwall on the Orkney Islands, Scotland.
Is the second northernmost single malt Scotch whisky distillery in Scotland. [1] [2]
Highland Park distillery was founded by Magnus Eunson, a butcher and church officer by day and illicit distiller and whisky smuggler by night. In 1798 he was caught illegally distilling whisky on the site. In 1826, nearly 30 years later, Highland Park received an official licence to distill whisky. [2] The name of the distillery does not refer to the Scottish Highlands, but rather to the fact that the distillery was founded on an area called 'High Park' distinguished from a lower area nearby. [3]
In 1937, Highland Park distillery was sold to James Grant & Sons of Glasgow. [4]
In 1979, the distillery was purchased by The Edrington Group, that also owned The Macallan distillery. [5]
In February 2023, Highland Park released a 54-year-old Single Malt Scotch whisky to celebrate Highland Park's 225th anniversary. [6]
The distilling process at Highland Park is the same as that used at other distilleries.
Highland Park uses the local peat, [7] which contains a higher proportion of heather than many other peats. [3] The whisky is aged in sherry casks made of either American or European oak, purchased from Oloroso sherry producers in Spain. [3]
Highland Park range: [8]
Highland Park 12 Year Old
Highland Park 15 Year Old
Highland Park 18 Year Old
Highland Park 21 Year Old 2024 Release
Highland Park 25 Year Old 2023 Release
Highland Park 54 Year Old
Highland Park Cask Strength Release No. 5
Highland Park Single Cask Series: Cask No. 1494
Highland Park has been named "The Best Spirit in the World" on three occasions by F. Paul Pacult, America's foremost expert on distilled spirits. Its 25-year-old whisky was the first spirit ever to receive a perfect 100-point score at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge. In 2018, two of its special distillery releases, The Light and The Dark, were each awarded a Double Gold medal in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. [9] In 2019 and for the fourth year running, [10] [11] [12] Highland Park won the Chairman's Trophy for Best in Category at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge. [13]
In 2018, Highland Park ranked second, behind sister distillery The Macallan, in whisky auction sales driven by growing demand from whisky collectors for the distillery's special releases. [14]
Scotch whisky, often simply called whisky or Scotch, is malt whisky or grain whisky made in Scotland.
Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from fermented grain mash. Various grains are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden casks, which are typically made of charred white oak. Uncharred white oak casks previously used for the aging of port, rum or sherry are also sometimes used.
Single malt Scotch refers to single malt whisky made in Scotland. To qualify for this category, a whisky must have been distilled at a single distillery using a pot still distillation process and made from a mash of malted barley. Therefore, a single malt means that the whisky has not been blended elsewhere with whisky from other distilleries. As with any Scotch whisky, a single malt Scotch must be distilled in Scotland and matured in oak casks in Scotland for at least three years, although most single malts are matured longer.
Single malt whisky is malt whisky from a single distillery.
Royal Brackla distillery is a Highland single malt Scotch whisky distillery on the Cawdor Estate, near Nairn in Scotland.
The Glenlivet distillery is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky distillery near Ballindalloch in Moray, Scotland, that produces single malt Scotch whisky. It is the oldest legal distillery in the Highlands of Scotland. It was founded in 1824 and has operated almost continuously since.
The Macallan distillery is a single malt Scotch whisky distillery in Craigellachie in Moray in the north-east of Scotland. The Macallan Distillers Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Edrington, which purchased the brand from Highland Distillers in 1999.
Scapa distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery on The Mainland of Orkney, Scotland on the shore of Scapa Flow near the town of Kirkwall. Scapa is the third-northernmost whisky distillery in Scotland, 1⁄2 mile south of the Highland Park Distillery.
Balvenie distillery is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky distillery located in Dufftown, Scotland. Is owned by William Grant & Sons.
William Grant & Sons Ltd is an independent, family-owned Scottish company that distills Scotch whisky and other selected categories of spirits. It was established in 1887 by William Grant, and is run by Grant's descendants as of 2018. It is the largest of the handful of Scotch whisky distillers remaining in family ownership.
Glengoyne distillery is a whisky distillery continuously in operation since its founding in 1833 at Dumgoyne, north of Glasgow, Scotland. Glengoyne is unique in producing Highland single malt whisky matured in the Lowlands. Located upon the Highland Line, the division between the Highlands and Lowlands of Scotland, Glengoyne’s stills are in the Highlands while maturing casks of whisky rest across the road in the Lowlands.
Ardbeg distillery is an Islay single malt Scotch whisky distillery in Ardbeg on the South coast of the isle of Islay, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, in the Inner Hebrides group of islands.
Old Pulteney distillery is a malt whisky production and aging facility in the Pulteneytown area of Wick, Caithness, in the Highland area of Scotland. The distillery produces the Old Pulteney single malt whisky at a number of ages and has a visitor centre in Huddart Street.
Speyburn distillery is a Speyside Scottish whisky distillery, in Rothes, Moray, Scotland.
Knockdhu distillery is a whisky distillery situated in Knock, Banffshire and owned by Inver House Distillers Limited.
The Glenrothesdistillery is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky distillery. The Glenrothes distillery is located in the town of Rothes in the heart of the Speyside region of Scotland. The distillery sits beside the Burn of Rothes, hidden in a glen on the edge of the town.
Glenglassaugh distillery is a malt scotch whisky distillery which restarted production in November 2008 after being acquired by an independent investment group. Following a complete refurbishment by the new owners the distillery was re-opened on 24 November 2008 by then First Minister for Scotland Alex Salmond.
Douglas Laing & Co is an independent bottler of Scotch whisky. Based in Glasgow, Scotland and established in 1948, the company has a number of brands including its "Remarkable Regional Malts" range, encompassing The Epicurean, Timorous Beastie, Scallywag, Rock Island and Big Peat, as well as Old Particular, Provenance and Xtra Old Particular, which they collectively call their "Exceptional Single Casks". The firm also creates and sells King of Scots Blended Scotch Whisky, Clan Denny Single Casks and Premier Barrel.
Knappogue Castle Irish Whiskey is a brand of premium single malt Irish whiskey produced by the Irish Distillers subsidiary of Pernod Ricard. The brand is named for historic Knappogue Castle in County Clare, Ireland, originally built by Clan MacNamara in 1467. Knappogue Castle is known for bottling one of the oldest and rarest known Irish whiskies, Knappogue Castle 1951, a pot still whiskey produced at the now-defunct B. Daly Distillery.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to whisky: