Orkney Single Malt 12YO
⏳ Drinking Window
As a distilled spirit, this single malt is bottled at its peak maturity and does not age or improve further in the bottle. It is ready to enjoy immediately upon release and will remain in pristine condition for decades if stored upright, away from direct sunlight.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Smoked salmon, mature blue cheeses, and dark chocolate desserts.
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from the wind-swept Orkney Islands off the far northern coast of Scotland, Highland Park is one of the world's most remote distilleries, steeped in Viking heritage and folklore. Founded in 1798 by Magnus Eunson—a local butcher, church beadle, and legendary illicit distiller—Highland Park 12 Year Old represents the quintessential Orkney single malt. The island's harsh, treeless environment shapes its unique peat, which is packed with decomposed heather rather than wood, imparting a distinctively sweet, floral, and aromatic smoke. Hand-turned floor maltings and maturation in hand-selected sherry-seasoned oak casks combine to create a beautifully balanced spirit. The result is a legendary dram boasting notes of wild heather honey, rich fruitcake, warm winter spices, and a gentle, lingering thread of peat smoke.
🍾 About the Producer
Perched on the windswept Orkney archipelago off Scotland's northern coast, Highland Park was founded in 1798 by illicit distiller Magnus Eunson before securing official licensing in 1826. Owned by Edrington and directed by Master Whisky Maker Marc Watson, the distillery remains one of the few in Scotland to maintain traditional floor maltings for a portion of its barley. Terroir here is inextricably linked to the island's environment: Orkney's tree-deficient landscape yields heather-rich peat harvested from nearby Hobbister Moor, imparting an aromatic, floral smoke fundamentally distinct from the medicinal iodine of Islay. Distillation occurs in copper pot stills, followed by patient maturation predominantly in sherry-seasoned European and American oak casks within maritime dunnage warehouses. Celebrated benchmark expressions include the flagship 12, 18, and 21 Year Old releases, as well as ultra-aged rarities such as the Orcadian Vintage Series and landmark 40- and 50-year-old single malts.