Highland Park | Orkney

Sitting far up off the northern coast of Scotland, the Highland Park distillery has been completely shaped by the wild, windswept environment of Orkney. The island’s fierce maritime climate prevents trees from growing, meaning the local peat is composed entirely of ancient, tightly compacted heather. When burned to dry the malt, this unique fuel imparts a highly distinctive, aromatic smoke that is deeply floral and entirely different from the heavy, medicinal peat found over on the west coast of Islay.

Alongside that gentle island smoke, the distillery relies heavily on premium sherry-seasoned oak casks to shape its signature flavour profile. These carefully chosen barrels infuse the resting spirit with rich layers of dried winter fruit, toasted nuts, and warming spices. The team also remains one of the very few in Scotland to still turn a portion of their barley by hand on traditional malting floors, a labour-intensive process that ensures absolute consistency and adds an incredible depth of character to the final liquid.

The origins of this remote site are rooted in a brilliant piece of local folklore. While officially founded in 1798, its true beginnings lie with Magnus Eunson, a church beadle by day and a notorious smuggler by night. Operating out of a small bothy at the high park above Kirkwall, Eunson famously hid his illicit whisky under the pulpit of the local church to outsmart the excisemen. Today, that very same site produces a globally celebrated single malt that remains fiercely proud of its rebel origins and Orcadian heritage.