Field Trip: Highland Park Scotch Made in the Orkney Islands

18 year old Highland Park Viking Pride. Photo credit Kendra Towns

Set off the upper Scottish coast, marking the second northernmost point in the United Kingdom after Shetland (together, they form the large group of Scottish islands named Northern Isles), Orkney islands once were part of Norway and share the same latitude as Alaska at 59 degrees north. Yet, thanks to the warming effects of the Gulf Stream, the landscape here is much less extreme and harsh than expected, with a generous sea and flourishing pastures. The same goes for the cheerful nature of its inhabitants, always ready to share tales about island life. And if you’re lucky, to share a dram.

Over 200 Years of Distillation

Outside the borders of the kingdom, indeed, Orkney islands are known mainly by two categories of people: history enthusiasts – with a particular focus on World War I and the legendary scuttling of the German fleet by its own sailors at Scapa Flow after the Armistice was signed in 1918, - and whisky lovers. Not far from Kirkwall, the largest town located on the Mainland island, Highland Park is a legendary distillery, widely appreciated for its lightly-peated single malt whisky. Its origin dates back to 1798, when Magnus Eunson, a direct descendant of Orkney’s early Vikings settlers, started (probably illegally) the whisky production. Later on, in 1826, Robert Borwick built the current distillery and started producing whisky with a regular license. Bought by James Grant, owner of Glen Grant, in 1895, since 1999, Highland Park has been part of Edrington Group, also running other renowned brands such as Macallan and Glenrothes.

Still today, over 200 years later, distillation goes on almost unchanged in the small “distilling village” perched over Kirkwall on a hill named High Park at the city’s southern edge. Made of several ancient stone buildings, it includes 23 warehouses - mysteriously numbered from 1 to 25 -, the still house where four stills (two wash and two spirit stills) and a copper and brass spirit safe are running, and two pagoda-topped kilns, the “new” one being over 100 years old. A stunning sight, as well as other iconic places in the archipelago – including the magnificent St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall, the stone-built Neolithic settlement of Skara Brae with the nearby beautiful Skail House, and the spectacular Yesnaby cliff.

Visiting Highland Park—Until The Distillery Reopens

Inside the Highland Park store photo credit Luciana Squadrilli

In April 2024, the Highland Park production site closed to undergo major renovation works aiming at a remarkable environmental upgrade, that will reduce the distillery’s direct carbon emissions by 20%, to be Net Zero by 2045. Production has been temporarily stopped, and it should start up by the end of 2024, and distillery tours will resume by March 2025. Meanwhile, while the stone-built village up the hill stays quiet, the Highland Park Store in the very heart of Kirkwall, is open daily, Monday to Saturday, between 10.00 am and 5.00 pm. It is well supplied with the brand’s different labels and an interesting array of merchandise and publications, and it also displays works of talented local artists. In Spring 2024, a new tasting room on the upper floor was launched to host tastings and experiences. The Peedie Experience (“peedie” meaning small, in local dialect) features a short film illustrating the whisky- making process and a guided tasting of a selection of whiskies (45 minutes, £25 per person), while The Taste of Orkney Experience (90 minutes, £70 per person and including a guided tasting of a selection of prestige and limited edition whiskies) allows to delve deeper into the world of Highland Park and discover what makes their whisky so unique: from the wood used for the casks and the partially in-house malted barley, to the very special local peat growing in their own heather moorland at Hobbister Moor.

A Story of Peat And Malt

Some of the barley used by Highland Park grows in Orkney (where also an ancient variety called bere, only grown here and in Islay, is mainly used to make flour to bake biscuits and flatbread such the traditional bere bannok) and, together with the barley hailing from the Inverness area, is malted in the self-owned maltings, taking care of the whole process from the washing and germination to the hand-turning, drying, and peat-smoking: a huge part of the environmental upgrade and research is focused on finding more sustainable, “cleaner” ways to do this, using a heat recovery unit instead of burning coke, and compensating the peat extraction, since this is a limited and precious resource (and wooden mash tuns are being replaced by stainless steel ones, requiring less water to be washed.)

The true secret to Highland Park Whiskies’ balanced taste and flavor is in peat. Visiting Hobbister Moor, their own moorland near Waulkmill Bay, which also is a bird-watching reserve, the reason is quite clear: while usually peat bogs are surrounded by trees and wood, here only the ever-present, low-rising heather grows, making the peat more delicate and less sour; the sea breeze gives the peat a iodine touch.

While we sip a few whiskies in the tasting room, appreciating the subtle or striking differences between the different labels, Mr. Rupert Wheeler, an experienced taster and author of several books on the subject, who left London to live in Orkney and work with Highland Park explains how this results in a very low content of phenols, and ultimately in elegant, very balanced whiskies where the peated note is never overwhelming. This is also since, usually, only 20% peated malt is used for their whisky (yet, there are exceptions, such as in the Dragon Legend special edition or in the Shiel, a special edition release from 2017 where 100% peated malt was used). The final step of the long cask aging – made in custom-made casks coming from the USA or Galicia, Spain, and sometimes in old sherry casks - gives Highland Park whiskies their final aroma and color (no caramel is added, and every shade is as natural as the Hobbister Moor peat). The gentle climate of Orkney Islands, with a slight difference in temperature range from winter and summer, ensures an angel share as low as 1%, compared to 2% in the rest of the country, making the Scottish island one of the best places in the world to age whisky.

Tasting

Guided by Mr. Wheeler, we tasted a few whiskies, including the excellent 18 Year Old single malt – “stonking”, is the word he used – where the gentle aroma of peat accompanies the scent of fruit cake, honeycomb, and candied orange peel.

Highland Park 15 Year Old single malt

For the 15 Years Old Single Malt Master Whisky Maker Gordon Motion used sherry seasoned oak casks mainly coming from Europe, adding spicy notes, and in lesser part from the USA, with their sweet vanilla scent is rich and complex and reminds of crème brûlée and freshly baked sponge cake.

Highland Park Cask Strength Release No. 4

The Cask Strength Release No. 4 , the fourth release of the Highland Park series bottled straight from the cask, without the addition of water to reduce alcohol content has been matured in sherry seasoned European oak casks, along with first-fill sherry seasoned American oak casks, a small number of refill casks, ex-bourbon casks and ex-port casks. The result of this unique maturation process yields licorice, toasted coconut, crushed lemons and even a hint of Turkish Delight, waiting to be savored with every sip.

Pairing with Cheese Tasting

Burnside Orkney Original and Highland Park Whisky

Wheeler has very personal opinions about pairings, “I only drink whisky at night, when it’s dark. And I’m not a big fan of food pairing, except for cheese,” he explains. He goes on to say that the 12 Years Old could match the smooth and firm farmhouse-style Burnside Orkney Original, the delicious Orkney Cheese Company White Mature Cheddar. The 15 Years Old is a good pairing for the intense Grimbister Farm Cheese, a fresh cow cheese that almost tastes like a goat one (and is also delicious deep-fried). The 18 Years Old Goes really well with any smoked cheese such as the Island Smokery’s Orkney Smoked Cheddar. And, he adds, he carefully matches the music, too: “Drinking a glass of 18 Years Old at night, I’d put on Pink Floyd, for instance. Surely enough, I’d never match it with Taylor Swift!”