Orkney Single Malt Hogshead 'Full Cask' No 49
⏳ Drinking Window
As a distilled spirit, this single malt does not mature further in the bottle and is ready to be enjoyed immediately upon release. Once opened, it will remain in peak condition for 1 to 2 years if stored properly away from direct sunlight and heat.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Rich blue cheeses, smoked wild salmon, and high-quality dark chocolate.
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from the wind-swept Orkney Islands, Highland Park is one of Scotland's most remote and historic distilleries, founded in 1798 by the legendary smuggler Magnus Eunson. This 'Full Cask' No 49 is a single cask expression aged in a traditional hogshead, showcasing the distillery's unique maritime terroir. Orkney's climate is famously treeless and battered by salt-laden gales, meaning the local peat sourced from Hobbister Moor is composed entirely of decomposed heather rather than wood. This imparts a distinctive, sweet, aromatic heathery smoke rather than the medicinal peat of the Islay malts. The slow distillation and cool island maturation yield a complex, balanced single malt with notes of wild honey, gentle peat smoke, coastal brine, and rich toasted oak.
🍾 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.